Mkhitaryan gave up 'lots of money' to join Roma

Cape Town - Roma sporting director Gianluca Petrachi says Henrikh Mkhitaryan made financial sacrifices to leave Arsenal and move on loan to the Italian capital.

Mkhitaryan joined Roma until the end of the season on the European deadline day last week, a season and a half after moving to Arsenal from Manchester United in exchange for Alexis Sanchez.

The Armenia player was facing a season on the Arsenal bench so when Roma came calling, it seems the 30-year-old jumped at the opportunity.

Roma's sporting director Gianluca Petrachi explained: "The idea was to invest in important young people.

"In situations where we found ourselves at the end of the market, or we made investments in young people or operations like those for Micky.

"He is a top player with very high costs and costs, the boy has given up on lots of money to come to Rome.

"Time will tell if we have the chance to keep players like that."

- TeamTalk Media