Henrikh Mkhitaryan insists he had been wanting to join Roma on a permanent basis ever since the start of his loan spell at the club.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan arrived at Arsenal in January of 2018 as part of a swap deal that saw Alexis Sanchez move to Manchester United.
The former Borussia Dortmund man failed to impress much in his 59 appearances for the Gunners and was eventually shipped off to AS Roma just one year later on a season-long loan deal.
Convinced of his abilities, the Italian side decided to convert his loan deal into a permanent move this summer.
Mkhitaryan managed to find his feet in Italy as he scored nine goals and grabbed five assists in the 2019/20 Serie A campaign to help Roma qualify for the Europa League.
The 31-year old had a year left on his Arsenal contract but they agreed to terminate it so as to allow him to join Roma on a free transfer.
“I always had it in my mind to play well and to help the team and then, at the end of the season, to see if we could get an agreement between myself, Roma and Arsenal to be able to stay here on a permanent basis,” Mkhitaryan said in an interview with the official club website.
“I’m very happy to be here now. I think I made a good decision, the right decision for myself and my career, and I’m looking forward to another season here.”