Roma are working with Arsenal to extend their loan deal for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, ahead of opening talks to sign the midfielder permanently.
That’s what Corriere dello Sport report, providing an update on the future of the 31-year-old whose loan deal with the Serie A side is set to expire.
The newspaper explains that Roma are holding negotiations with Arsenal that will see Mkhitaryan’s current deal extended until the end of the season, in line with FIFA’s new regulations.
Once that is sorted they plan to sit down with the Gunners to try and thrash out a permanent deal for him, despite his relatively disappointing season so far.
The Armenian had headed to Italy after former Arsenal boss Unai Emery made it clear he wasn’t part of his plans this year.
His time at the club has been hampered by injuries, although he was returning to prominence before the enforced break caused by the Coronavirus outbreak.
They are keen to keep him permanently, and manager Paulo Fonseca has made that clear to those higher up the club.
Arsenal’s asking price, €20m, is an issue for the Serie A club though as they have ‘budget problems’ at this moment in time.
They need to make ‘capital gains’ from selling players before they can afford to invest in the squad, so pending €20m on a player who is over 30 is therefore not entirely feasible.
The suggestion is that they may have to wait or negotiate United’s asking price down considerably before they can make their move.
