Tim Sherwood thinks £35m player is about to leave Arsenal

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Tim Sherwood thinks Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka is likely to leave the club this summer.

Xhaka has been linked with a surprise move away from Arsenal over the past week.

The 30-year-old has been a regular in Mikel Arteta’s side this season and has starred in the middle of the park. He’s missed just the one Premier League game all season and has been rejuvenated under Arteta.

But Xhaka is attracting interest from Bayer Leverkusen, with Kicker reporting that Arsenal would be willing to sell up for just £13 million.

Now, Tim Sherwood has told the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast that he believes the Swiss international will leave the club this summer.

Sherwood thinks Xhaka will leave Arsenal

Sherwood believes Arsenal should be looking to sell Xhaka and replace him with West Ham captain Declan Rice. 

“It looks like Granit Xhaka is going to move on,” he said. “He’s coming towards the end of his contract, he’s 30 years old.

“I think they need to replace him and Declan is the perfect person to slot into that role and improve it.”

Xhaka has had a mixed spell in north London since making the £35 million witch from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016. 

He was often viewed as an unreliable player and even clashed with Arsenal supporters back in 2019. 

But he’s completely turned his fortunes around in an Arsenal shirt this season and has been a mainstay in Arteta’s side. 

It would be a surprise to see him leave after such a promising campaign, especially as Arsenal will need added depth in the Champions League next season. 

Of course, if Xhaka sees his future away from north London then that’s a different matter entirely. But if he does want to stay and see out his contract until 2024, it would make more sense for Arsenal to keep hold of him, even if they bring in a ready-made replacement this summer.