Arsenal Looking to Use Henrikh Mkhitaryan as Makeweight in Bid for Justin Kluivert
By Ross Jackson
Arsenal are said to be keen to offer Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Roma as a makeweight in their bid to sign Justin Kluivert.
Mkhitaryan has spent this season on loan in the Italian capital having fallen out of favour at the Emirates. Roma boss Paulo Fonseca is reportedly eager to extend the Armenian’s stay in Rome, a proposition Arsenal are said to be open to should it enhance their chances of landing Roma’s Justin Kluivert.
La Gazzetta dello Sport claim the two parties have entered into discussions over a potential swap deal, though with Mkhitaryan valued at around €12m-14m, the Gunners would have to pay a substantial amount on top of the trade, with Roma valuing their young winger at between €35m-40m.
Fonseca had originally hoped to extend Mkhitaryan’s loan deal by a further year, though with Arsenal expressing their interest in Kluivert, the possibility of a permanent move is now being discussed.
Despite the talks being in their infancy, the move is made more of a possibility by the fact both players are represented by super-agent Mino Raiola.
21-year-old Kluivert is no stranger to interest from the Premier League. The Netherlands international reportedly rebuffed advances from Manchester United in 2017 before signing for Roma.
The winger arrived at Stadio Olimpico in a deal worth €17.25m with a further €1.5m in potential add-ons.
Should a deal with Arsenal be agreed it is likely that his former side Ajax will receive a cash windfall. The Dutch champions installed a clause in his contract stipulating they would receive 10% of any figure exceeding €25m that Roma received for Kluivert, up to a maximum of €4m.
Kluivert has enjoyed a solid second season in Serie A, notching four goals and two assists in his 18 league outings.
Meanwhile, despite being at the opposite end of his career, Mkhitaryan has also enjoyed a stellar year at Roma, scoring six times and bagging three assist in his 13 appearances.