Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has refused to rule out a summer exit for the "incredibly respected" Granit Xhaka amid rumours of an imminent move to Bayer Leverkusen.
As the Gunners prepare for a midfield overhaul in the wake of their Premier League title charge, a return to Germany could be on the cards for Xhaka, seven years after he left Borussia Monchengladbach to join Arsenal.
The Switzerland captain still has one year left to run on his Arsenal contract with the option of a further 12 months, but it has been reported that he is close to sealing a £13m transfer to Leverkusen.
Arteta was quizzed on the rumours in Friday's press conference ahead of their Premier League showdown with Nottingham Forest this weekend, and he hailed Xhaka as a "very important" part of his squad, but refused to confirm that he would remain on the books.
"The clarity is he's a player that has played [nearly] every minute since I've been the manager. He's an incredibly respected figure at the club," Arteta told journalists.
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"He has a great story around him with what he has achieved at the club, going through very tough moments. He's a key and very important part of [our squad]. Whatever happens is something we certainly won't discuss now."
Arsene Wenger brought Xhaka to the Emirates in the summer of 2016, and the 30-year-old immediately became a regular fixture in the Arsenal midfield, albeit while attracting criticism for a perceived lack of discipline.
Tensions between Xhaka and the Arsenal fans infamously boiled over in 2019, as Gooners cheered his substitution in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace, and he responded by gesturing and mouthing expletives to the home crowd.
The midfielder ripped off his shirt and stormed down the tunnel, forcing Unai Emery to strip him of the captaincy, and he was widely expected to head for the exit door during the 2020 January window.
However, Arteta convinced Xhaka to stay at the club and try to rebuild his career in North London, and the Switzerland skipper has since enjoyed an unexpected redemption arc in the heart of the Gunners midfield.
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Forming a useful partnership with Thomas Partey and being given licence to bomb forward, Xhaka has produced seven goals and seven assists from 45 matches in all competitions during a successful 2022-23 campaign, netting five times and setting up seven in 35 Premier League outings.
The former Basel midfielder now boasts a total of 21 goals and 29 assists from 295 outings for Arsenal, who will be in the market for engine room acquisitions regardless of his future this summer.
The Gunners are said to be planning an ambitious double swoop for West Ham United's Declan Rice and Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo, which could eat up at least £160m of their rumoured £200m budget.
Arsenal failed with two bids for Caicedo in January before capturing Jorginho from Chelsea on deadline day, but at 31 years old, the Italian is not seen as a long-term investment, and the same can be said for Mohamed Elneny and Partey, who will turn 31 and 30 respectively this summer.
Xhaka will be expected to make his 35th Premier League start of the season in Saturday's clash with Forest, where defeat for Arteta's side would hand Manchester City the title.
Ben Knapton
