Granit Xhaka is reportedly on the verge of completing a move from Arsenal to Roma.
It's a link that hasn't gone away since the end of last season, and it appears that new Roma boss Jose Mourinho could be about to land one of the club's top targets this summer.
According to Calciomercato (via the Mirror), a £17 million deal for the one-time Arsenal skipper is almost done.
Xhaka impressed at Euro 2020, wearing the captian's armband as Switzerland reached the quarter-finals, beating France on penalties to notch their first knockout win at a major tournament in 67 years.
However, the 28-year-old's future looks set to lie elsewhere after five years with the Gunners, who he joined from Borussia Monchengladbach.
The feisty midfielder never truly won over the Arsenal fans, with a notable flashpoint coming in October 2019 as he was booed off the pitch at the Emirates - prompting a less than civilised reaction and ultimately resulting in then manager Unai Emery stripping him of the captaincy.
Should the move go through, though, it's hard to deny he'll leave a whole in Mikel Arteta's midfield. Erratic and hot-headed he can be - as evidenced by his average of almost 12 yellow cards a season for the Gunners, with the odd red sprinkled in too - but his work rate, mobility and excellent passing range will need replacing. Wolves' Ruben Neves and Brighton's Yves Bissouma have been touted as potential successors.
As for Roma, who finishes seventh in Serie A last season, Xhaka could be their fourth arrival of the summer so far; Rui Patricio, Roger Ibanez and Bryan Reynolds have all already signed for I Giallorossi, joining from Wolves, Atalanta and FC Dallas respectively.
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