Henrikh Mkhitaryan is set to join Roma on loan until the end of the season as Arsenal open up avenues into the first team for their clutch of bright young attackers.
The Armenian international, who joined Arsenal in January 2018 as part of a swap deal that took Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United, was flying out to Rome today to complete his medical and the other remaining formalities of the transfer.
football.london understands the Giallorossi will cover the entirety of Mkhitaryan's £200,000-a-week wages in addition to paying a loan fee. There will be no option in the agreement for a permanent transfer though if the 30-year-old's time in Rome proves to be a success then Arsenal will be open to selling him.
Mkhitaryan has struggled to find consistency since arriving in the Premier League and will depart Arsenal with a record of nine goals and 13 assists in 59 appearances. He has proven to be a divisive figure among the fanbase and his introduction in Sunday's north London derby for Alexandre Lacazette was greeted with widespread boos by supporters at the Emirates Stadium.
With Mkhitaryan set to follow Alex Iwobi out of the exit door Arsenal's squad is relatively light on experienced wingers with Nicolas Pepe the only natural in that position. However the Gunners intend to hand the ropes to a crop of highly-rated youngsters, many of whom have thrived in wide areas.
Significantly Gabriel Martinelli, signed from Brazilian state football for the Arsenal Under-23s this summer, has already been formally promoted to the first-team after impressing during pre-season and he will vie with Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe for opportunities. The highly-rated Bukayo Saka, 17, is still officially a part of the youth setup but his move up to Unai Emery's squad is a matter of when and not if.
Meanwhile Arsenal also hope to find a buyer, either on a temporary or permanent basis, for Shkodran Mustafi. The error-prone German has been made available by the Gunners and has attracted interest from several clubs but as yet there have been no offers for him.
