Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Getty Images)
According to The Sun (h/t Daily Mail), AS Roma are unwilling to pay Arsenal £20m for Henrikh Mkhitaryan on a permanent basis.
The report also suggests that Mkhitaryan, who is on a season-long loan with Roma is keen to sign permanently for the club in the summer. The Italian side already had a £10m bid rejected in January and are not willing to make a fresh move.
Mkhitaryan, 31, came through the youth ranks of Pyunik Erewan in his hometown and joined Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in 2010. Three years later, Borussia Dortmund signed him and he made 140 appearances for the Bundesliga side, scoring 41 goals and providing 49 assists. He established himself as one of the best playmakers in Germany before moving to Manchester United in 2016.
Though he was not at his best, Arsenal bought him in 2018 and he failed to impress at the Emirates. Eventually, he was loaned to Roma last September.
However, the Armenian missed the majority of the season due to muscle injury and has featured in only 10 Serie A games so far.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are doing better under Mikel Arteta. The North Londoners have a lot of youngsters in their ranks – all of whom have done well under the new manager. The likes of Joe Willock, Reiss Nelson, Bukayo Saka, Ainsley-Maitland Niles and Matteo Guendouzi have been performing well and most of them are forward-thinking midfield players.
With these many youngsters in the ranks, Arsenal should consider selling Mkhitaryan and even lower their price to ensure that Roma can buy him.
Mesut Ozil, who was frozen out under Unai Emery, showed his best in the 2-0 win over Manchester United last month. He can be a crucial player if he continues to perform and the youngsters also have the ability to support him well.
Therefore, bringing the Armenian back would a waste of resources. He has done well in the Serie A and has scored 4 goals in 10 games.
With just 12 months left on his contract, it would be wise for Arsenal to sell him and make money. For that to happen, they should consider lowering his asking price.
