Fulham appear determined to beat Premier League rivals, including Crystal Palace, to the signing of out-of-favour Arsenal man Emile Smith-Rowe this summer.

The Cottagers are poised to lose star man Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich this summer as the German giants edge a deal closer to completion having fallen at the final hurdle last summer. With Brazilian Andreas Pereira supposedly a target for Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid, recruitment in the centre of the park has become a priority for Marco Silva.

Fulham had been linked with interest in Smith-Rowe, who played just 475 minutes in all competitions for the Gunners last season, and those rumours now appear to be gathering pace. TeamTALK reports that Fulham are 'ready to launch' a bid for the player, who is valued between PS25 and PS30 million by the Gunners.

Transfer specialist Alan Nixon has also spoken out on the deal as it gathers pace. The reporter claims that Fulham 'won't take no for an answer' when it comes to a transfer for Smith-Rowe.

A product of the Arsenal academy, any sale of the midfielder would represent a healthy profit for the North London club. The 23-year-old has made 115 first team appearances for his boyhood side since making his debut in 2018 but appears to be frozen out of Mikel Arteta's plans.

It is widely understood that playing time is the priority for Smith-Rowe, who is keen to still make that happen at Arsenal but willing to listen to other offers. Premier League rivals Crystal Palace have also been linked with the player and have just seen attacking midfielder Michael Olise leave the club in a big money move to Bayern Munich.

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"Take all that. It is the best thing that could have happened for him in his career - if he uses it the right way now. So, don't look back and say: 'Ah, if, if'. No, this happened, use it.

"That was the best thing that could have happened, I had great moments, I had difficult moments, now I know what I want, how to deal with that. That is going to make me a much better player'. And, you could see, the hell of a player that we have in him when he is fit and he is playing at that level."