Aston Villa transfer target Henrikh Mkhitaryan is set to snub a return to the Premier League in favour of a move to Inter Milan.

What's the story?

That's according to renowned transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, who has claimed that the Roma attacking midfielder has reached a verbal agreement with the Serie A runners-up ahead of joining on a free transfer.

Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla tweeted last week that the Villans were among the clubs interested in signing the Armenian on a free transfer, with the former Manchester United and Arsenal playmaker's current contract at the Stadio Olimpico set to expire next month.

Villa have already made three statement signings this month with the permanent capture of Philippe Coutinho followed by the additions of Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos, and they will be disappointed to miss out on what would've been another high-profile signing.

Villa supporters will be gutted

Despite being 33 years old, Mkhitaryan could have proved to be an excellent addition to Aston Villa's squad.

Although regular game-time may not have been a guarantee, especially with some of the prospective signings which could still be made, quality squad depth could be crucial if Gerrard wants to take the Villans to the next level.

The Armenia international has been a regular for Roma since joining initially on loan from Arsenal in 2019, making 117 appearances over the past three seasons; 44 of those came this term, with Jose Mourinho's side winning the inaugural Europa Conference League whilst finishing sixth in Serie A.

With five goals and nine assists in 2021/22, Mkhitaryan proved once again that he is a quality squad player, with the attacking midfielder finding his quality once again in Italy after a tricky period in England with both Manchester United and Arsenal.

However, with the likes of Coutinho, Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore among the attacking midfielders already in the Villa squad, accommodating the 33-year-old would have almost certainly depended on the sale of at least one current Villa player.

With the Armenian having an impressive pedigree and plenty of talent, Villa supporters will have to hope that they dodged a bullet by missing out on Mkhitaryan, with the failure to capture a high-quality and experienced attacking midfielder potentially leaving the fan base gutted.

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