Arsenal star keen to extend stay at London club after holding initial contract extension talks - Reports
Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka is reportedly holding talks with the club over a new contract. The Swiss international's deal expires in 2024.
Xhaka, 30, is enjoying an impressive season with the Gunners following reports that he was set to depart last summer. According to 90min, he was on the brink of joining Hertha Berlin before Mikel Arteta convinced him to remain at the Emirates.
He has featured 31 times across competitions this season, scoring three goals and providing four assists while excelling in a more advanced role. Arsenal look set to repay his form with a new contract offer. The aforementioned source claims that the midfielder has been in talks with the north London giants over an extension.
Granit Xhaka won the hearts of Arsenal fans back ✨ https://t.co/6rfK0PG9Hl
Xhaka wants to stay with the Gunners after turning things around at the Emirates. He fell out of favour with the fans after throwing his captain's armband off in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace in October 2019. The Swiss midfielder was subsequently stripped of the club captaincy.
However, Arteta has since reappointed him as vice-captain amid his transformation. Xhaka touched on remaining at Arsenal after being linked with a departure last summer, telling BBC Sport in October last year:
“I was very, very close (to leaving). When I say that, it was like I only had to take my stuff and leave the door. Mikel was the guy who stopped me leaving. I had a good conversation with him. I had never met him before. I told him from the first meeting we had ‘I want to leave’. It was not against him, but the story that happened here, I can’t play again with that shirt.”
Xhaka joined the Gunners from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016 and has made 281 appearances, scoring 18 goals and providing 27 assists, across competitions.
Arsenal leading race to sign Leicester City's Youri Tielemans in summer
Leicester midfielder Tielemans, 25, will become a free agent when his contract expires in the summer. He has rejected the opportunity to sign an extension with the Foxes.
According to Football Insider, Arsenal are in pole position to sign the Belgian, and he's their primary transfer target to bolster their midfield. They're likely to face competition from Newcastle United and Barcelona for Tielemans' signature, though.
Youri Tielemans vs. Chelsea.
The Emirates FA Cup Final, 2021.
Unforgettable. https://t.co/NA4XlbHmTs
Tielemans has featured 28 times across competitions this season for the Foxes, scoring four goals and providing an assist. He joined Leicester from AS Monaco in 2019 and has been a mainstay in Brendan Rodgers' side since then.