Arsenal to announce Granit Xhaka transfer in next two days

Arsenal are set to announce the transfer of Granit Xhaka in the next two days and make him their first signing of the summer. The Swiss international has been pictured in an Arsenal shirt but there has been no official intimation from the Gunners thus far.

The Mirror reports that the Gunners will put an end to the speculation in the next 48 hours when they confirm a deal for the 23-year-old for a fee expected to be in the range of £30m ($44m). All formalities have been completed, including his medical and club photos, but the player had to rush back to join his national team, which delayed the announcement.

Xhaka will add some much needed steel in midfield and is known for his ability to keep the ball moving and orchestrate play from the middle of the park. However, he has a penchant for the rash and has accumulated seven yellows and three red cards in his last season with the Bundesliga club, something Arsene Wenger has to eradicate from his stream if he has to build a team challenging for the title.

He will be Arsenal's fourth most expensive signing after Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, and Wenger will be hoping that his acquisition would get them back to trophy winning ways, having finished the recently concluded season without any major silverware. The Gunners are not finished in the market and want to sign a striker and a centre-back before the end of the summer transfer window.

The Gunners have reportedly made Bayern Munich defender Mehdi Benatia their priority target for the summer but are yet to make any conclusive bid for the Moroccan. The 29-year-old has played less than 30 games since his move from AS Roma in 2014 and is reportedly surplus to requirements under new manager Carlo Ancelotti.