Arsenal star Granit Xhaka drops huge hint with cryptic post ahead of final game of season

Granit Xhaka has dropped a major hint over his future at Arsenal after posting a message to the club’s supporters on social media, fuelling speculation he is set to leave the club this summer. The Swiss star has been heavily linked with a return to Germany for family reasons with Bayer Leverkusen interested and the midfielder has done little to quash rumours about his future with his latest activity.

Xhaka has been with the north London side since 2016 after joining from Borussia Monchengladbach and has one year remaining on his contract. But reports suggest his family are keen to head back to Germany this summer, with Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso an admirer of his talents.

The 30-year-old has done little to quell the speculation linking with him with the Bundesliga club amid reports of a £13m agreement between the clubs, sending a message to the board over his potential transfer.

And Xhaka took to Instagram to post an image of himself ahead of their final game of the season which many could interpret as a farewell message to the fans. In the caption, he wrote: ‘Thank you Gunners’, as well as posting his trophies won at the Emirates Stadium.

Xhaka’s post was uploaded via his Instagram stories, however, which means it will disappear after 24 hours, which may suggest he was merely thanking the fans for their support this season.

Indeed, if he was to mark his final goodbye against Wolves after 296 appearances for the north London club, one would expect a more substantial and visible post to follow before Sunday’s match.

Arsenal are hoping to sign a new central midfielder this summer, with Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Moises Caicedo all linked with Mikel Arteta’s side. And Xhaka’s departure would at least make some space available for a new arrival as well as allowing Edu Gaspar to raise funds to pay for his replacement.

Ahead of their final match of the season, Arteta refused to discuss or confirm whether Xhaka would be playing his final game. But the Spaniard did pay tribute to the long-serving midfielder.

“For me, crucial,” Arteta said when asked about Xhaka’s role. “Really, really important, on every level. I think for the team and for the club as well. In the great moments like the season he has had, and in the difficult ones.

“We have become a better club and better people and we have understood certain situations much better than just judging them.

“I think the club and a lot of people have done really well to dig in there and understand what happened emotionally and why those reactions were happening. And having the courage to say okay, let’s turn around the situation and face it.

“There are going to be moments of doubt but if you believe in what you are doing and you go face-to-face and you say what you feel, normally things work out pretty well.

“Look at how he behaves. Not only him, we have some others that are absolutely a joy for those boys. The way they treat them. It is an honest and a unique willingness to help them. It is not an act. It is not because they think it is supposed to be their role. It is genuine. And that is what makes the difference.”