Mikel Arteta publicly praised Granit Xhaka after the Arsenal manager revealed he tried to sign the midfielder for Manchester City.
However, in private, the Spaniard reportedly told the 27-year-old he can leave the club after this season. This had angered the Swiss international.
Xhaka’s agent admitted his client has an agreement in place with Hertha Berlin, but also stressed the two clubs must agree for the deal to take shape.
On December 27th, Bild reported the Gunners are playing a game with the Swiss international and Hertha to ‘drive up’ the transfer fee.
Arteta has reiterated his desire to retain Xhaka and Sport1 relays claims made by Bild. They state the manager’s ‘ulterior motive’ is to ‘drive up’ the player’s asking price.
It’s explained Xhaka’s move to the German club is ‘still possible’, but Jürgen Klinsmann’s side are facing a problem.
Arsenal are demanding in excess of €30m for the Basel-born player, which the Bundesliga side are not willing to pay. This could be an obstacle for a potential transfer, even though Xhaka wants a move to Hertha Berlin.
In the next few days, there should be a conclusion on whether or not the transfer will take shape.
