Aston Villa are about to be heartbroken in their pursuit of Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith-Rowe if the latest transfer update from Fabrizio Romano is anything to go by.
Villa tabled a £25 million bid for the 20-year-old, but it was quickly knocked back by the Gunners.
The Midlands side are reportedly preparing to return with an improved bid, but they are not likely to be successful.
According to Romano, Arsenal are now looking to hand Smith-Rowe a new five-year deal after Kieran Tierney put pen to paper on an extension today.
Official. Kieran Tierney has signed a new 5-year contract at Arsenal. Next step will be to extend Emile Smith-Rowe contract until June 2026. ⚪️🔴 #AFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 25, 2021
Having established himself as a key player in Mikel Arteta’s side during the second half of last season, the attacker has earned himself a deserved renewal and is expected to sign the deal pretty soon.
Villa were looking to bring in Smith-Rowe and play him alongside Jack Grealish, but the latest update from one of the most reliable transfer sources around has dealt a massive blow to their chances.
Manager Dean Smith wanted to have the Arsenal academy graduate and his skipper in his starting XI next season, and getting it done would be huge.
However, not only are Villa set to miss out on Smith-Rowe from the look of things, but they could also be without Grealish before the end of the summer transfer window.
Manchester City are readying a bid for the Villa star, and it appears they are confident of getting a deal done and meeting the demands of the Midlands outfit.
While they have brought in Argentine playmaker Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City, they could end up needing two more creative midfielders in the coming weeks if Grealish leaves and Smith-Rowe stays with Arsenal.
Read: 2021 Premier League transfers.
