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Football London
Football London
Sport
Aaron Catterson-Reid

Arsenal make Granit Xhaka transfer U-turn amid Bayer Leverkusen move

The future of Arsenal star Granit Xhaka may have taken a fresh twist, according to recent reports.

football.london reported last month that Xhaka was in advanced talks to sign for Bayer Leverkusen during this summer's transfer window in a deal worth €15million (£13million). The Swiss captain would be signing a contract with the Bundesliga outfit until 2027.

But now, the Mirror have claimed that the Gunners may have changed their stance, keen to fetch around £20million for the veteran midfielder instead. Mikel Arteta remains a huge fan of the 30-year-old, who arrived at the Emirates Stadium from Borussia Monchengladbach back in the summer of 2016.

Fellow holding midfielder Thomas Partey could also be on his way out during this window, with the Ghana international attracting interest from Serie A giants Juventus, as well as a number of Saudi Arabian sides. Left-back Kieran Tierney and centre-back Rob Holding may also have played their last matches in an Arsenal shirt, as per the aforementioned report.

Arteta has spoken about the need to 'nail' this summer transfer window as the Spaniard looks to close the gap on Premier League champions Manchester City. "We have to nail everything that we do and we have to seek excellence in everything that we touch and participate in, to have a big impact at the club", Arteta said last month.

“I think the competition is going to be even harder than this season. In my opinion, it’s been the hardest of the 22 years that I’ve been in this league.

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“In order to do that, we have a really promising plan. We may have to reflect a little bit, take a step back, make sure this is the right one and go again with more determination and hunger in the tummies to do even better.”

Who should Arsenal keep or sell this summer...?

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