Negotiations between Arsenal and AS Roma are underway for the potential summer transfer of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, according to reports in Italy.

Gazzetta dello Sport (via Mirror) claim Arsenal are now in negotiations with Roma over a summer transfer for Mkhitaryan. The loanee is in form right now, and the Serie A club hope to keep him around next season.

It’s far from a done deal though. There are no guarantees Roma will meet Arsenal’s valuation of the player, as we don’t yet know what that is. Also, Roma are unwilling to offer a deal as long as three years for a 31-year-old.

Mkhitaryan is up to 17 appearances for the season with Roma in all competitions. He has 10 goal contributions in those games, scoring six times and assisting four.

Obviously, 17 appearances isn’t a very high total. Mkhitaryan missed 16 matches with injury this campaign, which is going to make Roma even warier about investing heavily in him. Conversely, he appeared in all-but-one of the matches he was fit for.

As Mkhitaryan is currently doing well and Arsenal need the money, it seems like everyone would benefit from the two clubs reaching an agreement this summer.

Mikel Arteta doesn’t seem so sure though. He recently told the media Arsenal are considering keeping the player next season.