Roma have lined up Granit Xhaka as their fourth potential summer signing, fielding a second offer for the 28-year-old after their first was turned away by Arsenal.
The Serie A outfit have reportedly improved upon their first offer of €15m, attempting to meet Mikel Arteta’s men in the middle with €2.5m in bonuses attached to the initial bid, according to Calciomercato (via Sport Witness).
It still falls short of the Gunners’ valuation of the Swiss international of €20m, with it remaining to be seen whether the Premier League-based side will be prepared to compromise.
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Given that the Londoners have already lost loanees Martin Odegaard and Dani Ceballos to their parent club Real Madrid, it’s difficult to imagine the club being especially willing to lose yet another midfielder.
Having enjoyed a solid European Championship campaign this summer, one might also reasonably presume that the former Borussia Monchengladbach star would command a cash-only fee.
There are the financial ramifications of COVID-19 to consider, of course, though Arsenal would theoretically need a relatively significant offer in order to support a move for a potential replacement.
Anderlecht star Albert Sambi Lokonga has been tipped to follow Nuno Taveres to the Emirates Stadium, which would fill a potential vacuum should Xhaka make his exit in the current window.