AS Roma are set to send Henrikh Mkhitaryan back to parent club Arsenal.

Mkhitaryan is keen to sign for the Italian giants on a permanent basis in the summer.

But Roma are not prepared to meet Arsenal's £20million valuation for the 31-year-old whose Emirates contract expires next year, says The Sun.

And that would leave the north Londoners scrambling to find an alternative buyer for a player who does not figure in Mikel Arteta's long-term plans.

Mkhitaryan joined Arsenal from Manchester United in a straight swap for Chilean Alexis Sanchez in January 2018 and signed a £160,000-a-week contract to 2021.