Henrikh Mkhitaryan has reaffirmed his desire to extend his stay with Roma, putting pressure on Arsenal to drop their asking price for the playmaker.
Mkhitaryan has enjoyed an injury-disrupted but hugely successful loan spell with Roma, scoring a goal or providing an assist every 90 minutes in Serie A, and the Italian giants have made no secret of their desire to sign the Armenian international on a permanent basis.
For their part Arsenal would be prepared to cash in on Mkhitaryan, their second-highest earning player at just under £200,000-a-week. However the Gunners and Roma are some way apart in their initial view of what would be a fair price for the 31-year-old, whose contract expires in 2021.
Arsenal have cut their asking price below £10million but that could still prove to to be too expensive for Roma, who would also need Mkhitaryan to take a pay cut.
"Since the first day I arrived here in Rome, I feel very good in the club, in the city, and of course it would be nice to stay here," Mkhitaryan said in a video interview recorded for the Italian embassy in Armenia.
He added: "Comparing it to England, Germany and Ukraine, it has special things. People underrate Serie A but I would say it's more than interesting to play here.
"Of course it's not the same as it was 20 years ago but I'm pretty sure the league is getting better and better. I am more than happy to be here, to play in Italy with those fans is incredible... I'm really pleased to play in Roma and have fans like that."
Mkhitaryan endured a frustrating three years in England, first with Jose Mourinho and Manchester United and then moving to Arsenal after 18 months as part of a swap deal with Alexis Sanchez. In 122 games for the two clubs he scored just 22 goals, nine of those coming with the Gunners, who offloaded him last summer to make room in the squad for the likes of Reiss Nelson, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.
Were Mkhitaryan to return to Arsenal for the final season of his contract there he would find himself competing with those youngsters for a place as well as Nicolas Pepe, potentially leading to a fringe role that he is unlikely to be in with Roma.
Having turned 31 in January he appears to know that now is not the time to be warming the bench.
"“I do not have a lot of time left until the end of my football career, but I’m pretty sure that I’m doing my best to achieve more, because at the end of your football career everyone will remember what you have done for the club, what titles you have won," he said.
"It’s very important to leave a positive note by winning a trophy or doing something good for the club.
"I always had a dream to play in the best European Championships and the best European clubs. And I’ve fulfilled my dream.
"I’m working hard and mixing my talent with hard work. It’s not always easy, but sometimes you must make a sacrifice."
