Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka remains Jose Mourinho’s first-choice target for the summer, and he has made that clear to the Italian club.
That’s according to Corriere Della Sera, who say that the failed attempts to sign the Switzerland star in the summer and January have not put off Mourinho.
The newspaper explains that the Special One wants a purchase to build next year’s team around, and Xhaka is the man he is targeting.
Mourinho’s belief is that Roma lack a ‘regista’ style midfielder, and Xhaka was the ‘man of choice’ last summer and in January, but they were unable to get a deal done with Arsenal on both occasions.
For next season, though, Mourinho ‘will not compromise’ and has made it clear that Xhaka ‘must be the first purchase’ for him to rebuild Roma.
There’s currently no player in the squad capable of playing the role, so Mourinho’s aim is to fix that by securing the Arsenal man at the third attempt.
Getting him will be harder than it once was, after he signed a new deal with Arsenal last summer, but it’s felt he could ‘still end up on the market’, and if he does, Roma will be at the front of the queue again.
