Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka is expected to complete a permanent move to Bayer Leverkusen "in the next days", according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Is Granit Xhaka leaving Arsenal?

The Switzerland international first arrived in the Premier League from Borussia Monchengladbach back in 2016 and he’s since gone on to make a total of 297 appearances to date, making him Mikel Arteta’s longest-serving player at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners veteran, however, will be out of contract at the end of next season meaning that the upcoming window will present Edu with his final big opportunity to cash in should he not want to extend his stay, and it would appear that is indeed the case.

Sky Sports reported a fortnight ago that the N7 outfit had no plans to hold talks or offer the 30-year-old a deal extension which is where Bayer Leverkusen were name-checked as an interested party, with Xabi Alonso’s outfit believed to be confident of striking a deal, and following a fresh update, they would be right to assume so.

Are Bayer Leverkusen signing Xhaka?

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Romano revealed that Arsenal are indeed set to lose Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen who are now extremely close to wrapping up a deal to bring him to the Bundesliga. He wrote:

"Granit Xhaka starts for the last time as Arsenal player today. #AFC Permanent move to Bayer Leverkusen, set to be completed in the next days — as revealed two weeks ago. #Bayer … just waiting on final details to be sorted between clubs soon."

Are Arsenal right or wrong to sell Xhaka?

Arsenal will be aware that Xhaka isn’t getting any younger and Arteta will understandably want to start building a team for the long-term future of the club, but when you consider how much of a “key component” of the side he’s been this season, as lauded by journalist Josh Bunting, Edu should have offered him at least a short-term deal to remain in the capital.

The World Cup participant, who earns £120k-per-week, has posted 14 goal contributions (seven goals and the same number of assists) in 37 Premier League appearances this campaign and ranks in the 96th percentile for most attacking touches in the opposition’s penalty area so is constantly looking to create chances for himself and his teammates in the final third.

Xhaka, who has helped to win four trophies during his time at the club, also provides the manager with excellent versatility with his ability to operate in six different positions over the grass, but this is yet another quality that the boss will now have to do without moving forward.