Xhaka casts doubt on Leverkusen future | OneFootball

Around two weeks ago, Granit Xhaka sparked speculation about a possible return to his former club FC Basel during the farewell ceremony for his brother Taulant.

"One Xhaka is leaving, but soon the other will be back," the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder declared at the time.

Now speaking to Blick, Xhaka has admitted he “stirred things up a bit” and made it clear that a move back to Basel this summer is not a realistic option.

But although he remains happy at Bayer Leverkusen, the 33-year-old has not ruled out a summer transfer.

"I still have three years left on my contract with Leverkusen. My family and I are very happy in Germany. You never know what the future holds in football. But as of today, I’ll stay. What happens tomorrow, I can’t guarantee,” he said.

Leverkusen are currently undergoing a major overhaul. Head coach Xabi Alonso has departed for Real Madrid, while Jonathan Tah and Jeremie Frimpong have moved on to Bayern Munich and Liverpool, respectively.

Florian Wirtz is also expected to leave the club for Liverpool in the coming weeks, and other stars such as Alejandro Grimaldo and Piero Hincapié are being heavily linked with moves away.

How does Xhaka feel about all the changes?

"I experienced a similar transition at Arsenal in 2019. That kind of thing takes a toll. And I’m not 25 anymore - I’ll be 33 soon," he said.

While expressing confidence that the sporting management at Leverkusen can rebuild the team with the right signings, Xhaka left the door open for his own exit:

"Whether that’s with me or without me is another question."

Having only played in Switzerland, Germany and England so far, the former Arsenal midfielder remains open to testing himself in another league before the end of his career.

"I haven’t played everywhere yet, so of course you start thinking about it. Right now, those thoughts are still far away. I have my family and my management to handle that with me," said Xhaka, adding that he doesn't currently know if a formal offer for his services has been made.