Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Join Roma on Loan From Arsenal

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been an odd man out at Arsenal and, like the player he was swapped for 18 months ago, winds up on loan in Italy.

Arsenal winger Henrikh Mkhitaryan has flown to Roma to finalize a season-long loan to the Serie A side.

The 30-year-old has not started a game for the Gunners since the victory over Newcastle United on opening weekend, with new signing Nicolas Pepe seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order now.

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Given first-team football might be hard to come by at Arsenal, Gianluca Di Marzio claim Roma are ready to offer Mkhitaryan a lifeline. The Serie A side want Mkhitaryan on a season-long loan with an option to buy, as they continue their drastic squad upheaval which has already seen them strike loans for Manchester United's Chris Smalling and Chelsea's Davide Zappacosta.

They are keen to add the Armenian to that list, and have managed to strike a deal with Arsenal ahead of the closure of the transfer window on Monday.

The Gunners are willing to do business, given Mkhitaryan is no longer a first-team regular. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are expected to dominate the starting lineup alongside Pepe, and Arsenal also have a number of players in reserve.

Teenagers Reiss Nelson and Gabriel Martinelli are both involved with the first team this season, and manager Unai Emery will likely hand minutes to the pair at Mkhitaryan's expense.

Since joining the Gunners as part of the ill-fated swap deal which saw Alexis Sanchez head to United, Mkhitaryan has endured a challenging spell at the Emirates Stadium. 

He has managed nine goals and 13 assists in 59 appearances for Arsenal, which is certainly better than Sanchez managed in Manchester, but Mkhitaryan has often left fans wanting more and his inconsistencies ultimately saw him lose his place in the side.