West Ham United want Arsenal to include Emile Smith Rowe in blockbuster Declan Rice deal
West Ham United want Arsenal to include Emile Smith Rowe in any deal to sign Declan Rice this summer, according to a report by The Sun.
The Gunners are very keen on signing Rice, who will leave the Hammers this summer after lifting the Europa Conference League trophy to write his name in club history, and are ready to table a bid in the region of £90m.
But a new report claims David Moyes wants the north London club to include three-cap England international Smith Rowe in the deal, as he is a huge fan of the player.
“Declan Rice has his heart set on a move to Arsenal, SunSport understands,” they wrote (9 June).
“But West Ham are believed to be interested in the idea of a deal involving Emile Smith Rowe moving the opposite way.
“Sources say David Moyes is a “big fan” of Smith-Rowe but that Mikel Arteta is reluctant to sell him.”
Impressive
Smith Rowe broke into the Arsenal team a couple of seasons ago and really shone, earning himself their legendary number ten shirt and getting into the England squad.
The most recent season saw him really struggle with injury and he couldn’t get in the team ahead of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli or Martin Odegaard.
However his talent is very obviously still there and he is still very young. With Moyes and West Ham wanting to bolster their wide options, he could prove to be an excellent addition.
If Arsenal are open to putting him in the deal it would obviously mean less cash, making it harder to replace Rice directly, but if the club have a plan it could be a masterstroke.
There is still a long way to go this summer so there will be no rush, but it’s interesting to see how the club are approaching the sale of their best player.