Arsenal could be tempted to send Granit Xhaka back to Borussia Monchengladbach as part of a player-plus-cash deal that would see Denis Zakaria go the other way, as reported by 90Min.
He’ll never be the most popular footballer at the Emirates but, despite the odd high-profile howler, there can be no disputing the improvements Xhaka has made during the past eight months or so.
The Switzerland international has been one of the more consistent members of an inconsistent Arsenal side this season, filling in admirably too at left-back during the recent injury-enforced absence of Kieran Tierney.
According to 90Min, however, some at Arsenal would be willing to swap the £100,000-a-week Xhaka for a player they’ve admired since the days when Unai Emery was standing on the Emirates touchline with that anguished expression painted permanently on his face.
The report even claims Arsenal view Zakaria as an upgrade on his fellow Swiss ace.
The 24-year-old is younger than Xhaka, not to mention quicker, arguably more technically gifted and far more effective as the kind of high-octane box-to-box player who would thrive alongside the defensively minded Thomas Partey in Mikel Arteta’s engine room.
Zakaria, who is also a target for Liverpool and Manchester City, has refused to extend his contract at Gladbach, with his deal due to expire in 2022.
BILD reports the former Young Boys ace is now valued at a knock-down £20 million fee, with Max Eberl, Gladbach’s much-admired sporting director, suggesting Zakaria will be sold as the Bundesliga giants look to avoid losing a key player for nothing.
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