Arsenal have already been told why allowing Granit Xhaka to leave would be a big mistake amid fresh transfer links.
According to reports in Italy, Xhaka is a wanted man, and it’s former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho who is after his signature at AS Roma following his quick return to management.
Gianluca DiMarzio reports Roma are already working on the deal and that Arsenal want £21.5million for the Switzerland international having already entered talks.
Mourinho is said to have attempted to sign Xhaka a number of times in the past, and that’s hardly surprising given what the Portuguese boss said about the midfielder around two years ago.
He said: “Granit Xhaka is the main man in the entire Arsenal midfield, you can’t see it unless I lend you one of my eyes. Without him, Arsenal is lost. He is a leader. Remember, mistakes are made by humans.”
Since then, Xhaka has had to fill in at left-back during the absence of Kieran Tierney, though the versatile 28-year-old has also been praised for his work in defence.
Villarreal star Samu Chukwueze, who claimed a Europa League winners’ medal on Wednesday night, recently selected Xhaka as his toughest opponent in the competition this season.
“It was [Granit] Xhaka,” he told UEFA. “He was man-to-man marking. He didn’t give me space.
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“He was just very close to me and I couldn’t move an inch.”
Xhaka has been with Arsenal since his £35million move from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016, and he still has a contract with two years remaining at the Emirates Stadium.
But after a disappointing season, Mikel Arteta and Edu may opt to overhaul the squad, and Xhaka could be a victim in that if these latest reports are true, despite the warnings against allowing him to leave.