Arsenal laugh off £25m Aston Villa bid for Smith Rowe and expect star to sign new contract

Charles Watts

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Arsenal laugh off £25m Aston Villa bid for Smith Rowe and expect star to sign new contract image

Arsenal are hoping to imminently confirm a new long-term contract for Emile Smith Rowe after laughing off an offer from Aston Villa for the 20-year-old.

Having already signed long-term Arsenal target Emiliano Buendia this summer, Villa launched an audacious move to land Smith Rowe during the past few days.

Goal can confirm however that the offer was knocked back immediately by the Gunners, who are confident that their young playmaker will put pen to paper on a new deal before the start of the new season.

How much was the bid?

Villa submitted an official offer in the region of £25 million ($35m) for Smith Rowe. Arsenal rejected the bid out of hand, firmly making it clear to the Midlands outfit that their academy product was not for sale and is integral to Mikel Arteta’s plans going forward.

What is Smith Rowe’s contract situation?

Smith Rowe, who made his first Premier League start on Boxing Day before playing a starring role during the second half of last season, currently has a deal which runs until 2023.

Talks have been taking place to extend that contract, with Arsenal confident an agreement is very close.

Sources have confirmed to Goal that the club are hopeful Smith Rowe will have committed his future before the start of the new Premier League season, which gets under way on August 14.

Further reading

Club-by-club Premier League 2021-22 fixtures

Charles Watts

Charles Watts Photo

Charles Watts is Goal's Arsenal correspondent, covering the Gunners home, away and abroad. He joined Goal in April 2019 having spent the previous three years covering Arsenal for football.london. He has become a trusted and respected journalist on the Arsenal scene - regularly appearing on media outlets such as talkSPORT, Love Sport and SiriusXM and has also been a guest on Arsenal's official TV channel.