Roma close on Gervinho

04 August 2013 19:46

Arsenal forward Gervinho looks set to complete his long-awaited move to Roma after arriving in the Italian capital.

Several Italian media outlets have reported the Ivorian has touched down to complete an 8million euros move to the Serie A side on a four-year contract.

"I'm happy to be here, it was my dream," Gervinho told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Should the move be formalised in the next few days, it will bring to an end the 26-year-old's forgettable period with Arsenal.

Signed for an undisclosed fee from Lille believed to be in the region of £10million in July 2011, Gervinho was sent off on his Premier League debut against Newcastle after an altercation with Magpies midfielder Joey Barton.

He scored just four goals in 28 league matches in the 2011-12 season, while he was behind Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott in the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium last term.

He made 26 appearances in all competitions - 18 in the league - in the last campaign and Arsenal's intentions to strengthen their forward line this summer would have marginalised him further still.

Now, however, he is on the verge of once again linking up with Roma boss Rudi Garcia, under whom he worked when the pair were at Lille.

Source: PA