AS Roma remains hopeful that they can offload Amadou Diawara in this transfer window so that they can move to sign Granit Xhaka.
The Italians hold a long-standing interest in the Swiss midfielder, and they agreed on personal terms with him in the summer.
However, they couldn’t reach an agreement over a transfer fee with the Gunners and the midfielder remained in London.
He has since signed a new deal with the North Londoners and remains one of the most important players at the club.
But Corriere Dello Sport says Roma hasn’t given up on signing him, and they could return for his signature in this transfer window.
However, they need to offload someone from their squad to fund the deal, and they have identified Diawara.
They hope to sell him in the next few hours. If that happens, they will renew their interest in Xhaka.
Just Arsenal Opinion
Xhaka has become an important player at the Emirates, and he is unlikely to leave this month.
We have hardly made moves in this transfer window apart from offloading some fringe players.
Losing a key player like Xhaka without securing a better replacement would simply be a disaster.
No matter how much I hate Xhaka, to sell him without a better replacement is madness.
I’m starting to warm up to the notion of getting Diawara now that I know what’s in play should that happen
xhaka ain’t going anywhere
“Losing a key player like Xhaka without securing a better replacement would simply be a disaster.”
Crazy to think that this is true, given the number of disasters he causes himself, but it probably is just now. He should have been replaced years ago.
Part of me just wants us to get rid of xhaka and struggle through, even if it costs us a place or two in the league. Sambi’s clearly struggling currently but I do believe he’ll be excellent with a bit more experience, and it’s in some ways preferable to sacrifice a bit for a player who cares over one that really doesn’t seem to. It’s complicated because one or two positions in the league would make a difference in the signings we could make in the summer, so…