Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing Emile Smith Rowe this summer, while Bukayo Saka has popped up on the radar of Borussia Dortmund.
According to a report by Daily Telegraph, Aston Villa have set their sights on Emile Smith Rowe over a possible move in the summer transfer window. Arsenal want to tie down the 20-year-old playmaker to a long-term deal, while the Villans are hoping to swoop him away from the Emirates.
Smith Rowe has been with Arsenal since 2010, when he joined their academy aged just 10. The youngster subsequently progressed through the ranks quickly before breaking into the first-team setup in 2018. However, the Englishman had to wait till the second half of the 2020/21 season to make his breakthrough at the Emirates.
Over the course of the 2020/21 campaign, Smith Rowe made 33 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal, with 4 goals and 7 assists to show for his efforts. Suffice to say, the 20-year-old has been one of the finds of the season, and it is hardly surprising that Arsenal now want to tie him down to a new deal.
Arsenal’s keenness to secure the long-term future is also understandable because they are facing an uphill task in pursuit of Martin Odegaard, who has been slapped with a €60 million price tag by Real Madrid. The north Londoners, though, will need to move quickly to wrap up Smith Rowe’s renewal, with Aston Villa showing an interest in him.
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The Villans are not expected to sign Ross Barkley and with captain Jack Grealish continuing to be linked with a possible summer exit, it is imperative that they bolster their creative unit. To that end, Aston Villa are considering a move for Emiliano Buendia, who is also a target for Arsenal, with Smith Rowe now popping up on their radar as well.
What will now be interesting to see is if Arsenal can manage to tie Smith Rowe down to a long-term deal, which will ideally force Aston Villa to scrap plans of making a move for him. A key summer is on the cards for Arsenal and Smith Rowe.
Borussia-Dortmund eyeing Bukayo Saka as Jadon Sancho replacement
From one Arsenal youngster being sought by a club to another, we now turn our attention towards Bukayo Saka, who is a target for Borussia Dortmund. Indeed, as per Pedro Almeida, the English international is the subject of interest from the Bundesliga giants, who are eyeing him as a possible replacement for Jadon Sancho.
Saka has been a breath of fresh air in an underwhelming Arsenal side ever since his breakthrough campaign at the Emirates in 2019/20. And, in the season gone by, the 19-year-old has only gone from strength to strength, establishing himself as the Gunners’ talisman while also booking his ticket to UEFA Euro 2020 as part of the England squad.
However, with Arsenal failing to qualify for Europe, there is a feeling that Saka could be ripe for the taking in the summer transfer window. And, it looks like a suitor has indeed emerged in his pursuit, with Borussia Dortmund keen on swooping the teenage prospect away from the north London club.
Dortmund are in a precarious situation over the future of Jadon Sancho, who has been heavily linked with Chelsea and Manchester United this summer. As things stand, though, Chelsea appear to be leading the race to sign him, with a bid in the works from the Blues.
Dortmund, therefore, will be served well if they start planning for life after Sancho. To that end, Saka is a viable target for the German giants, with his creative prowess, as well as an eye for a goal, making him a like-for-like replacement for his compatriot at the Signal Iduna Park. In fact, the 19-year-old is the priority target for Dortmund, putting Arsenal in a difficult situation.
What now remains to be seen is if Dortmund do end up launching the offensive for Saka in the summer transfer window in the event that Sancho makes his way back to the Premier League. A nervy summer for Arsenal, though.
