Arsenal will only sell ‘top performer’ on one condition – Gunners ‘in driver’s seat’, hold all the power

Arsenal are yet to complete a deal to sell Granit Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen, as they want to sign a replacement for him first.

That’s according to Kicker, who say that while Xhaka may have said his farewells to Arsenal fans at the weekend, he is not yet close to completing his move back to Germany.

According to their information the transfer ‘has not yet been negotiated’ by Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen despite the fact ‘only details’ remain to be sorted between the player and the Bundesliga club.

Arsenal are yet to finalise the deal, or even negotiate it, having initially set a €15m asking price for a player they consider a ‘top performer’.

Because of that status in the squad, they only want to let Xhaka go once they have sourced a ‘significant midfield player’ to replace him. That’s because it would be much easier to sanction a deal knowing they have a replacement lined up.

The problem is that the level of player they want, such as Declan Rice or Moises Caicedo, is right at the top and therefore the competition is high. Thus, any deal ‘may take time’ and delay Xhaka’s departure.

Leverkusen are being careful and know they have to ‘proceed with caution’ in the matter, as Arsenal do ‘not like to be pushed around’ in transfer negotiations. The feeling is that exerting any pressure would be counterproductive as Arsenal could simply pull out.

The Gunners are very much ‘in the driver’s seat’ on the matter, despite Leverkusen already being close to an agreement with Xhaka and him keen to depart the Emirates.