December 4, 2019 - 13:10 AMT
Roma hope to get Mkhitaryan "for Belgian or Polish prices" - paper

Roma are hoping to get Arsenal player Henrikh Mkhitaryan for "Belgian or Polish prices" in summer 2020, an article published by Corriere dello Sport says.

The return of Mkhitaryan, currently on loan from Arsenal, hasn’t gone unnoticed, coming off the bench against Hellas Verona at the weekend and scoring his team’s third in a 3-1 away win.

The attacking midfielder had missed the past seven league games due to a tear in his abductor muscle, but there were never any doubts down Roma’s end the Armenia international would come good, injury or not.

Sport Witness cites the article in the Italian paper and claims that both sporting director Gianluca Petrachi or manager Paulo Fonseca decided loaning the Armenia international "was a risk worth taking, managing" for a project they believe "goes beyond the first season".

The newspaper go on to suggest it was always in their minds to make the move permanent in some shape or form after this season, which is why they didn’t bother to negotiate a clause in the loan deal.

As they say, ‘in June 2020, when he is 31, Mkhitaryan will be so close to the end of his contract that he will cost a reasonable amount’.

There’s little risk for Roma in this, as they know that if the loan between now and the rest of the season goes wrong, it’s "goodbye and thank you", but if it goes well, they’ll be able to buy a Premier League player at "Belgian or Polish prices".