“Don’t leave us now”: Mikel Arteta begs £40m Arsenal big player not to leave this summer, the Gunners boss promise him more game time ahead of next season
Arsenal midfielder could complete his long-awaited move to Bayer Leverkusen this week as Declan Rice’s arrival nears.
Bayer Leverkusen may finally snap up Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka in the coming days with a £20million deal close.
That is according to The Mirror, who report that there is real hope that Xhaka’s move will finally go through
Xhaka has been linked with Leverkusen for months now and had something of a farewell on the final day of the Premier League season.
That was more than a month ago now and there has been little movement on Xhaka’s expected departure
However, it’s now thought that Xhaka could be just days away from completing his return to Germany.
The former Borussia Monchengladbach star has been identified as a key target for Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso – a former midfielder himself.
A £20million deal now seems to be nearing completion with Xhaka bringing his seven-year spell at Arsenal to an end after joining for £30million in 2016.
Arsenal may be waiting for Declan Rice arrival to green-light Granit Xhaka deal
Arsenal are on the verge of adding another midfielder this summer with Declan Rice set to join from West Ham United
The Gunners do have Kai Havertz on board from Chelsea and the German may well be deployed in a midfield role at times.
Rice is the key though, giving Arsenal an option to play deep but also in a box-to-box role – just like Xhaka.
Arsenal getting closer to signing Rice and rumours of Xhaka’s deal being close again don’t feel like a coincidence
The Gunners would hate to lose Xhaka without having Rice either on board or on the verge of arriving.
This really signals a new era for Arsenal’s midfield, and Xhaka at least leaves as an Arsenal favourite – something which didn’t seem likely back in the 2019-20 season.
