Emile Smith Rowe failed to make for one final appearance for Arsenal during their friendly with Bournemouth in Los Angeles.

Smith Rowe, 23, is close to joining Fulham in a £35million transfer. That will be the most Fulham have paid for a player and would also match Arsenal’s biggest sale, which is currently Alex Oxlade Chamberlain’s move to Liverpool seven years ago.

Before the transfer is finalised, Smith Rowe must undergo a medical and terms must be fully agreed upon. Fulham’s updated bid of £35m is £5m more than their original offer, with the Craven Cottage club feeling a sense of pressure after it was revealed the 23-year-old was also being targeted by Crystal Palace.

Smith Rowe was expected to play in Wednesday’s game after being named on the bench – but wasn’t one of the 10 substitutes used by Mikel Arteta. The game finished 1-1, with Arsenal winning 5-4 on penalties. The Arsenal boss admitted: “Things are happening in the background and we decide the best thing to do was leave him out.”

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The transfer helps pave the way for Riccardo Calafiori to formally join the north London side. After weeks of teasing, it was reported the skilled Italian defender was headed to Arsenal on a deal worth £33.6m, with an additional £4.2m in add-ons and sell-on clause.

Calafiori also made it known that he prefers to play for Arsenal, picking them over a host of other potential destinations. What is complicating matters at the moment is the fact that Basel and Bologna are still working on terms that would send the 22-year-old to the Gunners.

Currently, half of the fee is slated to go to Basel, with the rest heading to Italy. For now, it remains to be seen when the deal will be realised but it appears it’s only a matter of time before Arteta gets one of the players on his transfer list.

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Emile Smith Rowe is reportedly headed to Fulham on a record transfer fee ( 
Image:
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
For Smith Rowe, heading to Fulham represents a new start for the talented midfielder. Since making his debut in 2019, he has 115 appearances and 18 goals, with a large majority of them coming during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

During those campaigns, he scored 12 goals in 53 appearances, before he was hit by the injury bug. Since August 2022, Smith Rowe amassed three Premier League starts and despite his lack of playing time, Arteta was still keen on maintaining the young star.

But it turns out Fulham’s proposal was enough, as the 23-year-old looks set to continue his career elsewhere.