Arsenal have put their pursuit of Ruben Neves on hold as AS Roma are yet to agree on a deal for midfielder Granit Xhaka, as per the latest reports.
The Swiss international is expected to join the Serie A side this summer but it looks Arsenal are refusing to lower their demands and this is proving to be a problem for the Italians.
talkSPORT cites Italian reports: “Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has seen his hopes of sealing a move to Roma dashed as both clubs are failing to agree a fee for the Switzerland captain.
“The biggest stumbling block is the price, according to reports in Italy.
“Arsenal are reportedly asking for £17million for the 28-year-old, with the Italian side refusing to meet that price.”
Will Granit Xhaka end up remaining at Arsenal?
Arsenal have been looking at Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves as the long-term partner for Thomas Partey but now that Roma are stalling over their deal, the Gunners might be able to hold onto Granit Xhaka.
The midfielder is valued at £19.8 million and has two more years left on his current deal so Arsenal have every right to ask for £17 million(despite his very average form).
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Roma were hoping to sign the 28-year-old in a cut-price deal but the Gunners seemed to have turned the tables on them.
There’s no doubt Ruben Neves will be an upgrade to Granit Xhaka but the Wolves man will not come at a cheap price which is why Arsenal are trying to recoup as much of the funds as possible.
Arsenal are in no hurry to let Granit Xhaka leave so the onus is now on AS Roma to push forward and make this deal go through before the 2021-22 season starts.
As far as Ruben Neves is concerned, Wolves will let him go for the right transfer fee and apart from Arsenal, Manchester United have also been linked with him so selling the 24-year-old should not be a problem.