Aston Villa reportedly have no chance of signing Emile Smith Rowe this summer, with the Arsenal midfielder close to a new contract.

BirminghamLive report that they’ve been told there’s ‘no chance’ of Aston Villa landing Emile Smith Rowe. They add that the Arsenal 20-year-old is poised to sign a new long-term contract to stay with the Gunners.

Villa have been forced to turn their attentions elsewhere, and they’re now looking at River Plate’s Julian Alvarez, according to the same report.

This update comes just a couple of days after The Telegraph reported that Aston Villa were lining up a second bid for Smith Rowe. Arsenal had previously rejected a £25m bid and told Villa he’s not for sale.

It’s not entirely clear whether this latest update means the second bid is off, that it was rejected, or that they never believed it had a chance to begin with. Either way, it seems no one around Villa is holding out any hope of landing Smith Rowe this summer.

Football.London also recently reported that the club remain confident Smith Rowe will sign a new long-term contract with the club. His extension is viewed as a priority for the executive team this summer and talks are ongoing.