Arsenal fans could be forgiven for thinking that Granit Xhaka is set to leave Arsenal this summer, with Jose Mourinho’s Roma mooted as a near definite deal.
Headline’s like “Granit Xhaka ‘fee agreed’ with Roma as Arsenal set to boost transfer kitty” (Daily Mirror) and “£100K-A-WEEK ARSENAL STAR HAS TOLD MOURINHO HE’S DEFINITELY LEAVING EMIRATES” (HITC), may have given the impression that the Swiss international was extremely close to a departure from the Emirates.
But according to Xhaka himself, while on international duty with Switzerland, who are preparing to face Wales on Saturday, he has no intention of leaving Arsenal, with two years remaining on his present deal with the club.
‘There are always rumours at the end of the season, that’s for sure,’ Xhaka told RP Online.
‘But I still have a two-year contract in London and I am very happy with my family here.
‘First of all, I’m looking at a successful Euro 2020 with the national team.’
Well, that doesn’t sound like Xhaka has any intention of entering talks with Mourinho or anyone else, especially as his wife Leonita has just given him his second child. In fact I think there is much more of a chance of Xhaka going to a team in Germany, if anywhere, as his wife’s family lives on the Lower Rhine.
As much as Gooners seem to like the idea of Xhaka moving on, I would suggest that there is little chance of that happening this summer….
Sam P