Unai Emery reportedly wanted to sign Stephan El Shaarawy from Roma at Arsenal in 2020 – and now, the Roma are ready to offload the Italy international for a bargain figure of just £8.5million this summer.
El Shaarawy, 29, is set to see his second spell at Roma end this summer. His first spell came after joining the club on loan in January 2016, before a move was made permanent that summer. He stayed until the summer of 2019.
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The 29-time Italy man moved to China with Shanghai Shenhua but only 19 appearances followed in 18 months. The worldwide pandemic limited El Shaarawy from playing, and he rejoined Roma back in January 2021.
But during his time in China, reports said Emery wanted the winger at Arsenal – though his preference was always Roma. Now, Italian outlet Il Romanista say Mourinho is willing to sell El Shaarawy for just £8.5million.
Emery wanted El Shaarawy at Arsenal: Roma to offload for £8.5million
It might come as a surprise to many that El Shaarawy is only 29. A player with huge experience, nearly 300 appearances at club level and 29 Italy caps to his name. He is still an excellent option out wide.
Despite only starting 13 of his 36 games in 2021-22, he still managed to score seven goals for Roma under Mourinho – as the Portuguese gaffer guided his side to Europa Conference League glory and sixth in Serie A.
Arsenal need depth out wide with a Europa League campaign on the horizon. They could do a whole lot worse than signing a player of El Shaarawy’s quality, for less than £10million.
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