Arsenal hold an interest in AS Roma midfielder Amadou Diawara, potentially in a swap deal for Lucas Torreira, according to reports.

Sam Dean of The Telegraph reports that Arsenal have made clear their interest in Roma midfielder Amadou Diawara, following similar reports in Italy. The potential transfer is still in the very early stages, with nothing formal yet.

Roma aren’t particularly keen to sell the 23-year-old. They’re in a strong position too, given his four-year contract with the club.

So perhaps the best way for Arsenal to convince them to let Diawara go is to offer a replacement. According to Alessandro Austini of Il Tempo, that’s what they’re doing.

Austini claims the two clubs are considering a Diawara-Torreira swap deal. There’s also the potential for Justin Kluivert to join the negotiation. With Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s future in Rome still not final, that’s another bargaining chip in the process.

As mentioned in the piece on the Telegraph website, it seems pretty clear this is an alternative signing to Thomas Partey. Diawara is a very similar profile of player, albeit a bit younger with less experience. It’s certainly hard to see Arsenal going for both.

Given Atletico’s reluctance to entertain any offer for Partey except his release clause, Arsenal may well start looking elsewhere.