Fulham target Emile Smith Rowe was denied a farewell to Arsenal fans as he was left on the bench for Arsenal's pre-season draw with Bournemouth.
It comes as Fulham have agreed a club record £37million deal to bring Smith Rowe to Craven Cottage.
Mikel Arteta all-but confirmed his departure when asked why Smith Rowe was benched as he said: "There are things happening in the background at the moment.
"We decided the best thing to do was to keep him away from the game today.”
Smith Rowe has struggled with injury over the past two seasons and will be hoping a move to West London will revitalise his career.
The midfielder, 23, played an important part in the early part of Mikel Arteta's reign, with the manager finding success by playing youth players such as Smith-Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
In the 2021-22 season, he managed ten goals and two assists in 33 Premier League appearances.
But an injury ravaged two seasons since then meant he has played just 25 Premier League games in the last two years - with many of these appearances coming from the bench.
As well as being a club record transfer for Fulham, the fee will also be Arsenal's joint highest sale.