Aston Villa are interested in signing one Arsenal player in the summer transfer window – but their chances of getting a deal done may hinge on one factor in particular.
Unai Emery is now preparing his squad for Champions League football after Villa enjoyed an incredible campaign in the Premier League, finishing fourth in the table and boasting wins over the Gunners and Manchester City.
Unsurprisingly, it appears that Villa are looking to bolster their ranks before next year. Aston Villa are closing in on a deal to sign Ross Barkley.
And it seems that they are also admirers of another attacking midfielder.
Aston Villa interested in Emile Smith Rowe move this summer
According to a report from talkSPORT, Villa are one of the teams interested in Emile Smith Rowe amid doubts over his future at the Emirates.
Fulham and Napoli are also keen on the 23-year-old, but Emery is seemingly seeking a reunion with the England international who made his Arsenal debut during his tenure.
However, talkSPORT notes that Villa’s chances of being able to do a deal may depend on whether they are able to offload players first.
Arsenal demanded £60 million for Smith Rowe ahead of the January transfer window; and while you would not expect them to want so much this summer, he is surely going to cost a hefty sum.
But then, Villa know all too well how difficult it will be to convince Arsenal to sell Smith Rowe.
What Arsenal wanted for 23-year-old when Villans made move in 2021
Back in 2021, Villa made at least two bids for Smith Rowe as he started to find his way in the Arsenal first-team, and the Villans looked to push themselves up the table.
Arsenal are surely going to hold out for significantly less this time, while Villa are surely not going to go anywhere near those figures if they reignite their pursuit.
But it does highlight just highly the Gunners do rate Smith Rowe, and that may still be reflected in what they demand for a ‘special‘ player who has barely featured over the last two years.