Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta could allegedly be willing to let Emile Smith Rowe leave the club in the January transfer window.
The Hale End academy graduate enjoyed a breakthrough first season with the Gunners during the 2021-22 campaign, scoring 10 Premier League goals in 33 games for Mikel Arteta's side.
However, due to injuries and the form of Gabriel Martinelli, Smith Rowe has since been demoted to a bit-part role at the Emirates Stadium, playing just 157 minutes of football so far this season.
Smith Rowe's only start in the 2023-24 campaign so far came in a 1-0 EFL Cup third-round win over Brentford last month, and he has appeared just three times off the bench in the Premier League.
Arsenal blocked a pair of approaches from Aston Villa for the England international in the summer of 2022, while the Gunners also elected to hang onto him this summer amid links with Chelsea.
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The 23-year-old remains contracted to Arsenal for another three seasons, but his continued lack of minutes has fuelled suggestions that the Gunners could soon cash in on their academy product.
According to The Mirror, Arteta may not stand in Smith Rowe's way of an exit if a suitable bid for his services arrives in January, as his chances of reigniting his Arsenal career appear slim.
Villa are still said to be admirers of the English playmaker and could potentially reignite their interest in 2024, while Newcastle United are also keeping a close eye on the situation.
Owing to his struggles at club level, Smith Rowe has also lost his place in Gareth Southgate's England setup, instead plying his international trade with the Under-21s in recent months.
Over the summer, the 23-year-old contributed two goals and one assist to England's Under-21s Euros triumph, offering hope that he could turn his fortunes around in the 2023-24 campaign.
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However, Smith Rowe remains on the fringes of Arteta's team, and he is without a senior England appearance since coming off the bench in a friendly with Ivory Coast in March 2022.
With Euro 2024 on the horizon, Smith Rowe will seemingly need to seek an exit from the Gunners in order to give himself the best possible chance of catching Southgate's eye, which would see him end a 14-year stint with the North London giants.
The midfielder was only ten years old when he joined Arsenal's academy ranks in 2010, and he made his debut as an 18-year-old during a Europa League clash with Vorskla Poltava in September 2018.
Smith Rowe has now recorded 18 goals and 11 assists in 103 games for Arsenal, who loaned him out to RB Leipzig and Huddersfield Town before his first-team breakthrough.
Ben Knapton
