Arteta all but confirms one Arsenal player's exit as the Gunners near record sale

Arsenal are on the brink of matching their record sale this summer transfer window. This is according to David Ornstein of the Athletic, with that well-respected news outlet claiming that the highly-regarded Emile Smith Rowe is close to leaving the Emirates Stadium.

According to that report, the 23-year-old is inching closer to a Fulham switch after falling down the pecking order. If completed soon, this would represent the North London giants' first sale of the window.

The manager all but confirmed this story following Arsenal's friendly against Bournemouth in the USA, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Emile was left out of the team and when asked about this decision, the Spaniard stated that "there are things happening in the background".

"There are things happening in the background, we decided the best thing to do was to keep him away from the game today"

Has Mikel Arteta confirmed Emile Smith-Rowe's advanced talks with Fulham? pic.twitter.com/lCaEW35i3D

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) July 25, 2024

Fulham's Smith Rowe offer is worth up to £35M. This means not only would the Englishman become Arsenal's joint-highest sale, equaling Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's move to Liverpool in 2017, but he will also become the Cottagers' most expensive signing in history.

However, this deal is not done and dusted. The two teams must finalize the terms first. After that comes the medical and personal terms.

Crystal Palace were also interested in the Hale End graduate but Fulham beat them to the punch. This move should secure the attacking midfielder more playing time.

Despite playing a crucial role at the club early on in Arteta's reign, the player has fallen out of favor with the manager. Injuries have played its part but the Spaniard showed a reluctance to use Smith Rowe even when fit, thus limiting to only three Premier League starts in the last two years.

Additionally, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson appear set to leave the Emirates Stadium. All three players would represent pure profit for the club due to being academy graduates.