Roma are closing in on signing Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka, as revealed by Fabrizio Romano.

What's the latest transfer news on Granit Xhaka?

The Italian club have been linked with Xhaka for a number of weeks, as their incoming manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly a "keen admirer" of the 28-year-old.

It was claimed last week that Roma had agreed to pay €20m (£17.2m) for Xhaka, and Romano now believes that the Swiss international's departure from the Emirates is edging nearer.

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What did Romano say about Xhaka?

Speaking on The Here We Go Podcast, Romano provided an update on Xhaka's future by saying: “The deal is really getting closer and Roma are really confident. As I always said on the podcast, they are convinced they are going to sign Xhaka.

"He wants to play with Mourinho, he wants to join Italian football and Roma, so it’s just a matter of some details to be resolved between Arsenal and Roma.”

How has Xhaka fared at Arsenal?

Since arriving in north London in 2016, Xhaka has been through plenty of ups and downs with the Gunners.

In his maiden season at the club, Xhaka helped Arsenal win the FA Cup as they saw off Chelsea 2-1 in the final at Wembley. He was then confirmed as the team's captain in September 2019 by Unai Emery, but things quickly soured.

Just two months later, the holding midfielder was booed from the pitch by his own fans when he was substituted, and his reaction to the crowd led to him being stripped of the captaincy.

It appeared that this may mark the end of his Arsenal career, but he bounced back impressively to play his part in Arsenal winning the FA Cup once again last year.

Will Xhaka be a loss for Arsenal?

Xhaka may not have always convinced Arsenal's fans that he is a high-class midfielder, but he has seemingly impressed multiple managers during his time at the club.

Playing under Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta, Xhaka has featured in at least 29 league games in each of his five seasons, suggesting that he has always been a trusted member of the Gunners' squad, and that it will be a blow for the side if he does leave in the coming days.

However, he is also set to turn 29 in September, and given that Arsenal look set to receive upwards of £17m for his signature, it could be that they are offloading Xhaka at the right time, and they can now re-invest that transfer fee in a younger player who has their best years ahead of them.