Aston Villa have had a very active summer in the transfer market with four new additions joining the project under Unai Emery at Villa Park, however, it is looking like their search for reinforcements could continue into the dying hours of Deadline Day.
As always, the Midlands club have regularly been linked with numerous players over the transfer window and last week were touted to make a move for highly-rated Barcelona forward Ansu Fati, who has found himself falling out of favour in Xavi Hernandez's side.
However, Fabrizio Romano reported late last night that Brighton and Hove Albion had swooped in to steal the signature of Fati on a season-long loan, leaving their Premier League competitors Villa and Tottenham Hotspur out in the cold.
Now, Emery will be scrambling to identify a quick solution to soften the blow of missing out on the Barcelona star with just over 24 hours left to add depth to his attacking threat for the season ahead.
Who are Aston Villa's Deadline Day targets?
The Villains have been given a boost in their pursuit to sign Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe in the last few days.
Indeed, it's been reported that the Gunners have no interest in selling their player to London rivals Chelsea this summer, according to 90min.
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The publication claimed on Tuesday that Aston Villa are joined by Newcastle United in their interest of sealing a deal for Smith Rowe before the transfer window slams shut tomorrow night at 11pm.
What is Emile Smith Rowe good at?
There is no doubt that the opportunity to play regular first-team football at Villa Park will be an attractive prospect for Smith Rowe due to his inability to break back into the highly competitive starting XI at the Emirates.
Not only that, the chance to reunite with the former Arsenal boss who handed him his first team debut five seasons ago could also help Villa secure the signing of their man over the Magpies, as Emery will have a good understanding of what the young talent can bring to his squad in terms of his style of play and qualities.
Despite falling out of favour in recent times under Mikel Arteta, the 23-year-old registered two assists, tallied up a 91% pass completion rate and created two big chances over his 12 Premier League appearances whilst averaging just 15 minutes per game, which is still an impressive output considering the sheer lack of time on the pitch.
Before losing his starting spot at Arsenal, Smith Rowe – who has a reported £40m price tag – was often the subject of huge praise and compliments from the biggest names in football with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher waxing lyrical about the Englishman:
"Emile Smith Rowe will get England caps, absolutely no doubt. There are so many good young players. He'll have to bide his time, there are other young players ahead of him right now but I absolutely love that lad.
"He's so exciting, the pace, moving with the ball. He's a special talent. He can pop up in different positions, he has that ability to play all four positions up top and that's a real bonus."
Whilst the other half of Sky Sports' popular duo, Gary Neville, also only had compliments for the Arsenal youngster:
"He's a breath of fresh air. Him and Saka make you feel joy about football. They still play with that spirit and it's wonderful to watch."
Not only would the England U21s star be a worthy alternative to Fati, he would also soften the blow of losing Emi Buendia to a horrific knee injury on the left wing, as Smith Rowe offers the versatility and experience of playing on both the left-flank and in attacking midfield.
With that being said, the signing of the Arsenal star would be a no-brainer for Emery as he could bring in a player who not only has incredible knowledge and experience of football in the Premier League, but could make an instant impact on performances in the final third with consistent game time.
