Movement on Roma’s deal for Granit Xhaka is expected within the next 48 hours as the Arsenal midfielder is willing to cut his family holidays short to seal the transfer exit, according to Calciomercato.
The Italian outlet reiterate that there is still some distance between the expected transfer fee, with Arsenal demanding €20m whilst Roma are yet to move past €15m plus add-ons.
Despite that, Calciomercato insist that ‘acceleration’ is expected between today and tomorrow, with the hope that Jose Mourinho can get to working with Xhaka from the start of next week.
It’s added that Roma may now be able to meet Arsenal’s minimum demands of €18m for Xhaka, who enjoyed a stellar Euros with Switzerland, as they’ve sold deadwood in Pau Lopez and Cengiz Under.
Xhaka himself appears to be ready to bid farewell to Arsenal, whom he’s enjoyed a largely frustrating spell with since arriving for €35m in 2016 per BBC Sport, as the 28-year-old is willing to cut his family holidays in Montenegro short in oder to seal the switch.
Calciomercato note that the central midfielder has already agreed personal terms with Roma, accepting the proposal of a four-year deal worth almost €3m per season.
Xhaka’s head is already in Roma, as he proved with comments like this after knocking France out of the Euros and this flattering talk about the Italian capital.
If Arsenal can’t manage to have their price tag met by Roma, recent reports suggest that a deal could still be struck for Xhaka, but one that would send Amadou Diawara to the Gunners in return.
Xhaka has made 220 appearances across all competitions for Arsenal, scoring 13 times and laying on 20 assists, but it’s been a mixed spell that has brought constant criticism on the Swiss star.
As Xhaka and Arsenal look to move on, the midfielder seems like the exact kind of fiery character that could flourish under the tutelage of Mourinho.