Amadou Diawara has done a decent job for Roma so far (Getty Images)
According to Gazzetta Dello Sport (h/t Daily Mail), Roma are interested in a swap deal involving Amadou Diawara and Arsenal star Lucas Torreira.
The 24-year-old Torreira, who arrived at Arsenal in 2018, has fallen down the pecking order, making just 17 league starts this season. A regular under former boss Unai Emery, Torreira has not started a single match since January, suggesting that he clearly is not a favourite under Mikel Arteta.
Having fallen out of favour under the Spanish boss, Torreira had earlier last month hinted that it would be best for both parties if he chose to depart Arsenal this summer.
Meanwhile, Serie A side Roma have expressed an interest in the Uruguayan international. The Italian club are hopeful that they could land Torreira by offering their defensive midfielder Diawara in exchange.
Diawara, on the other hand, joined Roma from Napoli last summer and has been a regular starter in the side even though a meniscus injury forced him to miss 13 matches this term.
Despite being troubled by injuries in his maiden season, Diawara has made 19 Serie A starts and has featured 30 times for them across all competitions. This is a testament to the 23-year-old’s potential. Arsenal would be having a good bargain at hand if they were to replace their out-of-favour midfielder Torreira.
Moreover, a swap deal for Diawara will save them a lot of time and money, making him a cheaper alternative to their priority target Thomas Partey, who will cost them a hefty £43million.
Apart from Torreira, Arsenal have Swiss star Granit Xhaka and 28-year-old Mohamed Elneny, who are capable of playing in the defensive midfield role. Xhaka is a regular under Arteta while Elneny is clearly not a favourite, having spent the last season on loan with Turkish side Besiktas.
Having proved his mettle in his first season at Roma, young Diawara could easily give the experienced Xhaka and Elneny a run for their money, meaning his arrival will only bolster the Arsenal squad next season.
Hence, they shouldn’t think twice about pushing ahead with the swap deal and land Diawara in place of Torreira.
It is evident from Arsenal’s team selection this term that Torreira is not a favourite under new boss Arteta. Hence, keeping him in the side seems unnecessary. They could rather offload him and rope in rising midfielder Diawara, who has proved himself in his first-ever season at Roma.
