The Italian media have finally conceded that Granit Xhaka’s transfer to AS Roma is on standby until they can present a better offer to Arsenal.

Writing on Tuesday night, Di Marzio confirmed that AS Roma’s negotiations to sign Granit Xhaka are on standby. He’s still Jose Mourinho’s top target in midfield, but for the time being the deal is on hold.

Roma already have an agreement with the player to join, but they need to make some sales before they can present an offer to meet Arsenal’s demands.

This fits with what some in the English media have been saying for a while now. Charles Watts again denied last week that a deal was done, explaining that his Arsenal sources have suggested the Gunners feel Roma just have to pay up if they want him.

Arsenal initially turned down a €15m bid from Roma earlier in the summer, holding out for €20m, but it seems the Serie A side still haven’t met that valuation.

Time and time again, Italian outlets have claimed a deal is now close, only for another week to go by without anything changing. Now, we’ve finally reached the stage where they’ve accepted the reality that Roma won’t get anywhere without a new bid.

Arsenal shouldn’t even think about compromising on this transfer. They know Mourinho wants Xhaka, they know Xhaka wants the move, but they have their valuation and it’s up to Roma to meet it.

If not, it would be no great loss to Arsenal to keep Xhaka around. He was a regular starter under Mikel Arteta before this summer and still has a couple of years left on his deal.