English Football
Arsenal reject Roma’s bid for Xhaka
Arsenal have rejected Roma’s 15m euros (£12.9m) bid for Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka.
The Italian side’s bid fell short of Arsenal’s valuation of the 28-year-old, who joined the Premier League club in 2016 for a reported £35m and has a contract until 2023.
New Roma manager Jose Mourinho is keen to take Xhaka to Serie A after being appointed last month.
Roma are also interested in Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz.
Xhaka has had a mixed career at the Emirates, revealing he and his family had received abuse on social media after clashing with fans as he was substituted against Crystal Palace in October 2019, and after being sent off at Burnley last December.
He was also stripped of the captaincy by former Arsenal boss Unai Emery.
Last season, however, Xhaka made 47 appearances under manager Mikel Arteta and helped Arsenal to the Europa League semi-finals.
Xhaka is currently on duty with Switzerland at the European Championship and played in their opening 1-1 draw with Wales.
