Roma Could Use Striker as Bait to Land Arsenal Forward – Report

Roma are hoping to sign Arsenal's out-of-favour forward Gervinho in a deal that could see striker Pablo Daniel Osvaldo move in the opposite direction.

Reports in Italy suggest that Roma director of sport Walter Sabatini travelled to London on Wednesday in order to try and strike straight cash deal that would have seen Arsenal receive around £6.9m.

Sky Italia believe that Arsenal rejected this initial deal and informed Roma that they would want closer to £9m as they look to recoup the majority of the fee they paid for the forward back in the summer of 2011.

Gervinho joined the Gunners for £10.8m but has struggled to replicate the form that saw him end the season with 15 goals and 10 assists as Lille won the Ligue 1 title.

The 26 year old has scored just nine Premier League goals in his two season at the Emirates, however, despite this poor form it seems Roma manager Rudi Garcia is keen to bring the forward to the Italian capital.

Garcia certainly knows the forward well having worked with him at Lille and it seems he is desperate for a deal to be completed in the coming weeks as a second round of talks are expected within days.

While Roma may not be willing to give in to Arsenal's demands, it is reported that they could instead include Osvaldo as part of the deal as they are keen to offload the controversial striker.

The fiery Italy international scored 16 league goals last season but has clashed with fellow players and it seems Garcia would not be against the idea of allowing the striker to leave.

Osvaldo has been heavily linked with Fulham in recent weeks, with reports in Italy suggesting that he has also been offered to Tottenham Hotspur who are known to be in the market for another striker.