Granit Xhaka: Bayer Leverkusen sign Swiss midfielder from Arsenal for £21.4m

Granit Xhaka was fixed a lasting ovation by Arsenal fans arsenic helium was substituted during their last crippled of past play astatine location to Wolves

Granit Xhaka has near Arsenal to articulation German broadside Bayer Leverkusen successful a 25m euro (£21.4m) deal.

Xhaka, who joined the Gunners successful 2016 and was concisely skipper successful 2019, had a twelvemonth near connected his declaration but was expected to permission the nine this summer.

Arsenal are connected the verge of signing England midfielder Declan Rice successful a British grounds woody from West Ham.

Xhaka scored 23 goals successful 297 appearances for the Gunners, helping them triumph the FA Cup doubly and decorativeness runners-up successful the Premier League past season.

He scored doubly during the last crippled of the season, a 5-0 location triumph against Wolves, earlier being fixed a lasting ovation arsenic helium was substituted precocious on.

That was successful stark opposition to an angry confrontation with Arsenal fans aft being substituted against Crystal Palace successful October 2019, aft which helium admitted helium was adjacent to leaving the club.

That resulted successful him being stripped of the captaincy - conscionable implicit a period aft helium had been handed the armband by past manager Unai Emery.

Arsenal rejected a bid of 15m euros (£12.9m) for Xhaka from Roma successful 2021 and aboriginal that summertime helium signed a one-year declaration hold to 2024.

Xhaka antecedently spent 4 years playing successful the Bundesliga for Borussia Monchengladbach, who helium left to articulation the Gunners for a reported £35m successful 2016.

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