Xhaka points to Arsenal contract in response to fresh transfer speculation

Granit Xhaka has reaffirmed his commitment to Arsenal amid renewed speculation that he could return to the Bundesliga this summer.

Along with Hector Bellerin, Bernd Leno, Eddie Nketiah and Willian, Xhaka is among the first-team players who have been tipped to leave the Emirates in the coming months.

David Luiz is already on his way out of the club, with Mikel Arteta admitting that he feels “sadness” at seeing him go.

Xhaka has subsequently been linked with a move back to Borussia Monchengladbach. He made 140 appearances for Gladbach and went on to captain the side before signing for Arsenal in 2016 for £35million.

There has been speculation that Xhaka could return as part of a swap deal with fellow Switzerland international Denis Zakaria.

While he was sidelined for much of last year with a serious knee injury and has struggled to regain his best form since then, Zakaria, 24, is still considered an enormously exciting talent.

Xhaka has now addressed those rumours directly, however, and given a clearer indication of where he sees himself next season.

Speaking to German outlet RP Online, he said: “There are always rumours at the end of the season, that’s for sure.

“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.”

Whether or not Xhaka stays in north London, Arsenal are still set for a busy summer.

Along with the first-team players who could move on, loanees Lucas Torreira, Sead Kolasinac, Matteo Guendouzi, Joe Willock and Ainsley Maitland-Niles could all leave permanently.

Asked earlier this week whether Arsenal are likely to be active in the transfer market, Arteta said: “Yes. If I have to answer every question about every possible transfer or what players might be leaving, we will be sitting here for hours.

“What I can say is that we know what we want to do and there is a clear plan to put that together.

“It’s true that there are a lot of decisions to make, because as well we have a lot of players on loan, some of them have to come back and we will see step-by-step and focus on the priorities that we have. Let’s see how much we can do.”

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