Arsenal sent Henrikh Mkhitaryan out on loan last summer, offloading him to Roma for the duration of the season.
The Armenian had struggled to impress during his 18-month spell at the Emirates Stadium, but he has at least shown his quality in Italy.
Mkhitaryan has hit six goals and three assists in 15 Serie A games for Roma, and Paulo Fonseca has unsurprisingly wanted to keep him at the Stadio Olimpico.
Roma have at least confirmed an extension until the end of the season, and suggested a deal is in place for the 2020-21 season – which may just rule out a swap deal after all.
Gianluca Di Marzio claims that Mkhitaryan will cancel his Arsenal deal when his Roma loan ends, and will then sign a one-year deal to join Roma as a free agent.
That suggests that Mkhitaryan won’t be used in any sort of swap deal, which will surely kill off links to Roma winger Justin Kluivert once and for all.
Calciomercato reported in June that Mino Raiola – who represents both Mkhitaryan and Kluivert – had been working on a swap deal, attempting to convince Arsenal to part with cash alongside giving up Mkhitaryan.
However, Mkhitaryan being released this summer would make a swap deal impossible, and Arsenal certainly don’t have the funds to sign Kluivert for cash alongside other targets.
The Dutchman heading to Arsenal now seems very unlikely, and having blown hot and cold in Italy, some Gunners fans may feel they’re better off this way.
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