Arsenal’s wantaway star Granit Xhaka agrees transfer to Hertha Berlin with loan move ahead of £25m switch
GRANIT XHAKA'S proposed move to Hertha Berlin is reportedly a step closer after terms on a loan plus £25million move from Arsenal were agreed.
After the Swiss midfielder didn't feature in the weekend defeat to Chelsea, rumours mounted that he was leaving for good - which the club rebuffed with a claim he was ill.
However now state that Gunners bosses have been happy for the former captain to leave since his spat with fans in the draw with Crystal Palace in November.
Talk of a return to German football quickly began and Hertha have settled on an initial loan move with a permanent transfer clause attached to the deal.
The last say on green lighting the sale is held by Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal only appointed the 37-year-old as manager in the last couple of weeks and he is naturally keen to assess his options before allowing such a senior player to depart.
Without Xhaka, Arteta placed Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi together in central midfield versus Chelsea - with Joe Willock the only natural player for that position on the bench.
Fellow midfielder Dani Ceballos is injured while Mohamed Elneny is enjoying a productive loan stint at Besiktas.
With no word of a recall, the most likely change of scenery for him is a sale to AC Milan.
Xhaka's personal desire to leave and join Hertha has been known for a number of days.
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Agent Jose Noguera stated last week that he and his client were "in agreement" with the Bundesliga outfit.
He added at the time: "Arsenal was informed about all the steps, the player and Hertha are clear. It’s only about the transfer fee of the clubs."
Sat 12th in the German top-flight, Berlin are expected to spend big in coming transfer windows after businessman Lars Windhorst invested in the side, which amounted to the single largest equity transaction in league history.