Roma’s transfer talks with Arsenal for the signing of Granit Xhaka broke down earlier last month. The Gunners have reportedly offered the Switzerland star a new contract deal until 2026, including a pay rise. This prompted the clubs to part ways.
Now, Fabrizio Romano has revealed why the negotiations didn’t take a forward step on his podcast Here We Go. Jose Mourinho is a keen admirer of the midfielder, but unfortunate circumstances have prompted the board to offset any spending.
Speaking on the podcast, Romano revealed: “Why did Xhaka’s deal collapse with Roma? Because Roma had the emergency deal with Spinazzola’s injury, so they were needing a left-back.”
Spinazzola saw his Euro 2020 tournament largely cut short due to a major Achilles tendon injury in the Azzurri’s Quarter-Final against Belgium. He has been sidelined for a long time, forcing Roma to look for alternatives.
“They spent money they had in place for Xhaka on Matias Vina from Palmeiras, and so their €12m (£10.2m) + €3m (£2.5m) add-ons bid for Xhaka was rejected. Now Xhaka is really close to signing a contract with Arsenal,” he said.
The Swiss international will remain in London as things stand. Roma have identified Borussia Monchengladbach’s Denis Zakaria as an alternative.