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Arsenal are not prepared to allow Emile Smith Rowe to leave on a permanent basis as part of a deal to bring in RB Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano.

The Gunners are eager to reinforce Unai Emery’s defence before the transfer window closes on Thursday and Upamecano is among a number of options on the club’s radar, with Juventus’ Daniele Rugani also a target.

Arsenal would hope to secure Rugani in a loan deal and would struggle to match Juventus' price tag for the 25-year-old.

Similarly RB Leipzig would demand a high price to sell Upamecano, who at 20 years of age has already made 55 appearances in the Bundesliga.

In addition to their sizeable price tag - reports in Germany claim the Red Bulls have turned down a £55million offer - Leipzig also want to bring Emile Smith Rowe back to the club after his loan spell with them in the second stage of last season.

Arsenal, however, will not consider allowing one of the brightest prospects in their youth academy to leave on a permanent basis even though Smith Rowe’s inclusion in the transfer would significantly decrease the fee they have to pay to sign Upamecano.

Though Leipzig would be eager to take Smith Rowe on loan it would not be enough to convince them to lower their demands for Upamecano.

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Although injuries limited Smith Rowe’s game time to just three appearances in the Bundesliga last season the youngster made a strong impression on the Leipzig hierarchy, who were impressed both by his attitude in training and his maturity in adapting to new surroundings in Germany.

Smith Rowe is still undergoing rehabilitation work on the groin injury that first reared itself before he moved to Germany in January and is not expected to be fully fit until the middle of September at the earliest.

Arsenal would like Smith Rowe to continue his recovery at London Colney though some of his suitors, which include clubs in the Premier League and Europe, are keen to bring him in immediately rather than waiting until several weeks into the season before they are able to introduce him into the club.

Smith Rowe is also considering staying at Arsenal for the first half of the season and returning to the loan market in January when he will be fully fit and will likely have several games for Unai Emery’s side under his belt.