ARSENAL have rejected a bid from Roma for midfielder Granit Xhaka, according to reports.

Roma boss Jose Mourinho is believed to have been keen on the Switzerland international since arriving in Italy.

And now the Serie A club have acted on their interest by bidding £13million for Xhaka, report the BBC.

But the offer has fallen short of Arsenal's evaluation of the 28-year-old, who is contracted until 2023.

Xhaka was signed for £35m in 2016 so the Gunners are unwilling to sell for such a low amount.

Now Roma will decide whether to increase their bid or turn their attention to Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz, another player linked with a move to the Stadio Olimpico by the BBC.

The Gunners are set for a big summer of change with Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock also attracting transfer interest.

David Luiz has already departed along with eight other players, so Mikel Arteta has some recruitment work to do.

Yves Bissouma and Ruben Neves are two midfielders linked with a move to North London and could replace Xhaka if he does leave this summer.

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Xhaka has had a mixed career at the Emirates but has been ever-present over the last five years, making 220 appearances in total.

He was made Arsenal captain by Unai Emery in 2019 but a bust-up with the fans saw him lose that honour.

Xhaka will currently be focused on getting Switzerland through the Euro 2020 group stage, so may not be weighing up his club future just yet.

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