Fulham step up pursuit of £35m Arsenal midfielder after rejected bid

Fulham are stepping up their efforts to sign Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe despite already seeing one bid rejected in the current window.

It has been reported that Fulham submitted a bid that was significantly below the £35million asking price Arsenal have set.

The Cottagers, however, are not giving up and are currently weighing a fresh and enhanced offer to secure one of their main transfer targets, according to reports.

Smith Rowe is Fulham’s main choice for a huge acquisition ahead of the upcoming Premier League season, with their pursuit being ‘fueled by the sale of Joao Palhinha’.

The highly regarded graduate of Arsenal’s development programme has drawn attention from a number of teams this summer and is expected to secure a transfer away from the Emirates.

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That attention could mean that Fulham are forced to invest more of their transfer kitty into securing their top target.

Fulham are said to still be the frontrunners in the race to sign the Arsenal man and have reason to be confident of tying up a deal this month, despite continued interest and a formal bid from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace.

There is a mounting belief that this is the summer Arsenal will choose to cash in on several promising graduates who are progressing well as players but could benefit from enhanced roles that the Gunners cannot guarantee for them in the near future.

Arsenal have also been willing to listen to offers for Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah and a string of sales could set them up to secure a marquee striker target.

Fulham finished in 13th last season and managed to keep themselves out of the relegation scrap.

They have shown the desire to build as a club and will also be wary of the impact of any sort of stagnation given how fine the margins between mid-table safety and the battle to beat the drop can be.

It is widely believed that Fulham’s anticipated improved bid might be enough to complete Smith Rowe’s transfer before the end of the month.

If Arsenal can secure a decent fee for their academy graduate, they could secure their own top midfield target in the shape of Euro 2024 winner Mikel Merino .