According to Daily Mail, Chelsea are planning a surprise move to sign Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe before the transfer window closes on Friday.
The London giants have made an average start to the Premier League season with 4 points from their first 3 games. They secured a convincing 3-0 win over Luton Town last week, but the club are still looking for attacking reinforcements before the transfer deadline, as per Daily Mail.
The British outlet claim that Smith Rowe is a transfer target for Chelsea alongside Barcelona duo Ferran Torres and Raphinha. Talks are not advanced for any of those players, but the next few days could give a clear indication whether the club are successful in signing any of those three.
Surprise deal
Smith Rowe’s career has been on a downward spiral over the last 18 months. The Gunners graduate lost his starting spot to Gabriel Martinelli during the second half of the 2021/22 season and it was followed by an injury-plagued 2022/23 campaign where he played under 200 minutes.
The 23-year-old showed signs of returning to his old form during the Under-21 Euros this summer with England, but has not had a significant part to play for Arsenal in the new season. Smith Rowe played only 3 minutes in the Community Shield win and has been left on the bench since.
There is now a big question mark over his future under head coach Mikel Arteta. Fabio Vieira was preferred ahead of him in the recent 2-2 draw versus Fulham. The Portuguese’s introduction raised some eyebrows among the fans, but he came up with a fantastic performance.
Chelsea are interested in signing Smith Rowe before the window shuts. Arsenal deemed the £30 million star as indispensable earlier in the summer, but a significant transfer bid from their London rivals could now test their resolve, considering Smith Rowe is no longer in favour under Arteta. He has not played a single minute in the league.
