Arsenal ex-captain Granit Xhaka is said to be the leading target of German club Bayer Leverkusen this summer. The Swiss international is expected to make way for the likes of Declan Rice to help Arsenal fill in their pocket.
Even though Xhaka has found his prime back under Mikel Arteta and has become one of the core members of his team, Arsenal is still on the lookout. The North London club wants to reinforce its midfield and therefore has England international Declan Rice as their prime target.
Bayer Leverkusen is expected to be the interested party in signing Xhaka and getting him back to Bundesliga. Leverkusen director Simon Rolfes has hinted to Standard Sport about the same.
Rolfes said: “We are looking around the market, but I will not comment on that. We want to fundamentally improve our team. There will be changes, we want to create new impetus.”
Granit Xhaka has had a serious turnaround in his career in the last 3 years. While he was booed by the Arsenal fans in the 2019 game against Crystal Palace and lashed out at them, he is back to being chanted by those same fans in those very stands. And the irony is that he is being liked by the fans the most that he has ever been cheered by since his tenure in London which started in 2016.
Xhaka will enter the final year of his contract with Arsenal and there are no signs of either party trying to extend the contract. Having said that, Mikel Arteta will have a huge say in where Xhaka ends up next year. The Gunners Boss would not want to let go of his second-best midfielder this season after Odegaard. Xhaka has been pivotal in Arsenal’s success this season; by making important tackles down the flank, slides in the penalty box, and providing assists/goals during dire straits of a match.
