Smith Rowe set for Arsenal exit

Fulham have reached an agreement to sign Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal in a club-record deal worth up to £34million.

Smith Rowe has been an Arsenal player since the age of 10 but after limited game time in the past two seasons under Mikel Arteta, the midfielder has decided to leave. The 24-year-old has already agreed personal terms and he's hoping to join up with his new Fulham team-mates at their pre-season training camp in Portugal once he completes his medical.

Fulham will stump up an initial £27m with a further £7m to be paid in add-ons. Smith Rowe has been in the USA as Arsenal prepare for the upcoming Premier League season but he didn't play a single minute of their first two friendlies due to the uncertainty surrounding his future.

Smith Rowe's departure won't leave Arteta short for numbers, as the Gunners announced on Monday that they'd signed centre-back Riccardo Calafiori. The 22-year-old Italy international joins from Bologna for £42m.

Calafiori's arrival and Smith Rowe's departure has got the summer transfer window rocking and rolling for Arsenal, with Arteta dropping a hint on the latter's future over the weekend. "Things are happening in the background, and we decided the best thing to do was leave him out," the Gunners boss said of Smith Rowe, who was absent against Bournemouth on Wednesday.

Having celebrated his 24th birthday on Sunday, the ex-England under-21 star is eager to reboot his career after earning just three Premier League starts last season. He appeared in a further 10 games as a substitute, finishing the campaign with just two assists.

Arsenal handed Smith Rowe the iconic No.10 shirt after he signed a new five-year contract with the club in 2021, although Martin Odegaard would soon force him out of starting XI after joining permanently from Real Madrid a month later. Since installing him as club captain, Arteta has rarely wavered from selecting Odegaard, who enjoys playing in the same creative role as Smith Rowe.

Fulham's quiet window has so far only seen manager Marco Silva welcome back Ryan Sessegnon on a free transfer after leaving Tottenham earlier this summer. The Cottagers have money in the bank, however, having sold Portuguese midfielder Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich for roughly £47m, the club's record sale.