Roma have asked Arsenal to pay a chunk of Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s £180,000-a-week wage to complete a permanent move, ESPN reports.
Mkhitaryan is free to leave the Emirates and is keen on a switch to Serie A.
The 31-year-old initially joined Roma on loan in September and the two clubs are now negotiating a permanent deal.
Arsenal are believed to be demanding around £10million for Mkhitaryan, who has one year left on his contract.
However, Roma are unwilling to match his salary and have indicated they want financial assistance from Arsenal to complete a deal.
That could come in the form of a lower transfer fee, but also by agreeing to top up his wage for the remainder of his contract.
“My time in London is over, I hope you manage to find an agreement with Roma because my desire is to remain,” Mkhitaryan told Corriero dello Sport on Wednesday.
He has scored six times for the Italian side in 13 games.