Reports in Switzerland have suggested that Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka is close to securing a move to join Inter as part of Antonio Conte’s transfer plans.
As noted by BBC Sport, the Italian tactician was appointed as Nerazzurri boss last week and will undoubtedly hope to stamp his mark on the squad over the summer having replaced Luciano Spalletti at San Siro.
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Inter will not only be expected to compete in the Champions League, but they will be desperate to close the gap on Juventus who have now won eight consecutive Serie A titles.
In turn, Conte is expected to be backed in the transfer market to strengthen his squad, and Tuttomercatoweb have reported, via RSI in Switzerland, that Xhaka is ‘one step away’ from arriving at Inter.
Time will tell if a deal is indeed that close, as the Swiss international is currently with the national team preparing for the UEFA Nations League semi-final clash with Portugal this week.
That will undoubtedly be his priority for now, but based on the report above, there could be a huge development in his club career coming this summer.
Xhaka, 26, joined the Gunners in 2016, and has gone on to make 134 appearances for the club to establish himself as a key figure in the side.
While he has faced criticism and scrutiny along the way, he was seemingly an important part of Unai Emery’s plans this past season having appeared 40 times, and so it surely has to be considered a blow for Arsenal if he is indeed on his way out of the Emirates.
With no official word from either club yet, it seems as though there is still some way to go but the report would certainly suggest that a Xhaka exit from Arsenal is a possibility as Conte looks to add him to his rebuild at Inter.
