I agree the fact that the rope drive is not moving with the wing will reduce the tether drag immensely. That is if we assume that the wings are rotating with the gearbox for the rope drive placed in the middle of rotation. (second source)
+1 for the rope drive
I would have liked to do some initial calculations, but it seems to me that rope drive has more potentian for high altitude AWE compared to torque transfer.
I also did not mention any weight og rope drive mechanical equipment. It would have to be factored in, also the fact that the most obvious tether UHWMPE is very slippery and not initially well suited to transfer torque to a drum by friction.
Kiwee proved it possible at smaller scales, so thats a really good start. Im sure they have more intimate knowledge about the current design limitations.
I think a structure with a torque transfer closest to the wings (eg similar to daisy or your design) and then a gearbox to get the speed up could word.
I think we would probably also be looking at two counterrotating, controlled, rings for the wings, because in the air it is difficult to find a reference to convert torque into rope pull