Arsenal has been in talks with AS Roma over a possible swap deal that would see Henrikh Mkhitaryan join the Italians while Justin Kluivert moves the other way.
Mkhitaryan has been on loan at the Italian side since the start of this season after the Gunners deemed him surplus to requirements.
He has, however, become a better player in the Italian capital and they are keen to sign him up permanently.
They had been struggling to meet Arsenal’s asking price for his permanent signature, before the idea of a swap deal was brought into the mix.
The Gunners wanted to use the Armenian as a sweetener in a move to land Kluivert, but Roma aren’t looking to lower their asking price for the Dutch winger.
Reports in Italy via Sun Sports now claim that talk of any swap deal has now been quashed.
Mkhitaryan has just extended his stay until the end of the prolonged Italian league season and according to the official Roma Twitter account, a preliminary agreement is in place for him to remain in Rome next season.
This is good news for Arsenal because being brutally honest, Mkhitaryan was a waste of space and his wages were a drain on the club’s finances.