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Emile Smith Rowe is set to sign a new five-year deal at Arsenal.
The news has dashed the hopes of Aston Villa who had made him their number one summer transfer target.
Villa had made an initial offer of £25 million which was rejected by the Gunners, and then returned with an improved bid of £30 million, which again was turned down.
Undeterred, the Midlands club were readying a third bid for the playmaker, but it now looks like their efforts will prove to have been fruitless.
Smith-Rowe returned to pre-season training at Arsenal this week, and talks bout his new deal are reported to be progressing well, although there are still a few details to be settled.
He has two years left in his current deal, and has always indicated that his preference has been to remain with his boyhood club, whilst the Gunners hierarchy knew they would face an immense fan backlash if they allowed one of their brightest academy graduates to leave the club.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.