Xhaka will leave Arsenal
According to ESPN, Xhaka has a one-year contract with the option to extend it for another year, but Arsenal have yet to activate this clause.
Transfer hunter Fabrizio Romano posted similar information and revealed that Xhaka is close to joining Leverkusen for a fee of $ 16 million. The Swiss midfielder also reached a personal agreement with the Bundesliga club until June 2027.
Romano said Arsenal will not stand in Xhaka's way, but that agreements or contracts are only signed or approved when the 2022-2023 season is over.
Xhaka joined Arsenal in the summer of 2016 and was elected captain at the end of September 2019, replacing Laurent Koscielny - a central defender who moved to Bordeaux in the summer transfer window. Since then, many "Gunners" fans have protested against the decision of coach Unai Emery because they think the Swiss midfielder often makes mistakes. Just two months later, he was stripped of the captain's armband because of an incident with the home team's fans in the match against Crystal Palace.
At that time, Xhaka thought he was about to leave Arsenal, but accepted to stay after talking with new coach Mikel Arteta. This season, he has shone with a more advanced role in the Spaniard's system, contributing seven goals and seven assists in 45 games in all competitions. In total, Xhaka has scored 21 goals and 29 assists in 295 games in all competitions for Arsenal.
According to Sky Sports, Declan Rice is Arsenal's top target to strengthen the midfield. The English midfielder has a contract with West Ham until the summer of 2024 with an option to activate an additional season. He turned down an extension offer with a weekly salary of $250,000 18 months ago.
West Ham will only accept Rice to leave if it receives an offer of $150 million from a Champions League club, but will also accept an offer of $125 million and a midfielder.
In addition, Arsenal also target Moises Caicedo. The Ecuadorian midfielder is the number one target of the "Gunners" in the January 2023 transfer window. But when Brighton shouted for $ 100 million, the "Gunners" gave up and signed Jorginho.
According to Sky Sports, Brighton only accepts to let Caicedo leave if it receives an offer of $90 million in the summer of 2023. The source said Arsenal will lose at least $ 200 million to recruit both Rice and Caicedo, hence the sale of Xhaka. for nearly 20 million USD is a reasonable decision.
