Arsenal transfer news: Borussia Monchengladbach block Gunners' summer move for Granit Xhaka

Borussia Monchengladbach have issued a hands-off warning to interested clubs regarding a summer move for club captain Granit Xhaka. The midfielder has been heavily linked with a move away from the Bundesliga club since January, with Arsenal one of the clubs interested in bringing him to the Premier League.

According to the German publication Bild, the Gunners already have a deal in place to bring the Switzerland international to the Emirates Stadium in the summer, with the fee expected to be in the range of €45m (£36m, $51m) as Arsene Wenger looks to bring in cover for Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini, who are expected to be allowed to leave in the summer following the expiry of their contracts.

Xhaka, who is contracted to the Bundesliga club until the summer of 2019, reportedly has a release clause of around £35m ($49.8m) but the club's director of sport Max Eberl has made it clear that they will not entertain any interest in signing their midfielder.

"Xhaka is our captain. That should be the case next season. There's no need to call us. We want to keep him. There are no discussions," Eberl said, as quoted by the London Evening Standard.

The 23-year-old midfielder, however, has admitted that playing in the Premier League is a childhood dream and is hoping to achieve it before the end of his career. Moreover, he also confessed that it will be hard for any player to turn down a move to a club like Manchester City, after Bild reported possible interest from the Etihad Stadium outfit ahead of Pep Guardiola's arrival next season.

"I think everybody has a dream. Everybody has a childhood dream and that's my childhood dream. If my dream comes true, it remains to be seen. At the moment I cannot say how realistic it is," Xhaka said, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

"And should I one day want to make the next step, it also has to be an improvement. But true, it's difficult to say no when Manchester City want you and you could play there. That much I have to admit. But I'm certainly not the only one," the former FC Basel midfielder added.