Bayer Leverkusen’s new signing Granit Xhaka sees his original plan as a distant prospect as the end of his career approaches. The 31-year-old is no longer planning to join his training club FC Basel again. “It was always a dream of my brother Taulant and I to play together on a team again. As of today, I would say that I will not be coming back to FC Basel,” said Xhaka in an interview with “New Zurich newspaper“.
The defensive midfielder moved to the “Werkself” for 15 million euros in the summer after seven years at Arsenal FC and immediately took on the important role that was intended for him. So far, Xhaka has always been part of the starting eleven and has impressed almost every time. His contract with Bayer runs until June 2028 – when it expires he would be 35 years old.
His brother Taulant (32) played for FC Basel throughout, apart from a loan spell at Grasshopper Club Zurich, and made 369 appearances for the 20-time Swiss champions. Granit left the club in 2012 and went to Borussia Mönchengladbach for 8.5 million euros, where he became the focus of top international clubs.
About his transfer to Leverkusen back to the Bundesliga, the left-footer said: “It was sometimes written that I was coming back to Germany because of my wife. That’s not the truth. Like me, she was very happy in London.” The veteran made the decision solely as a footballer and athlete. “I came to a top club in Germany that has a plan and wants to achieve something. Of course the change was easier for us because, like me, we used to live in Düsseldorf and Mönchengladbach is nearby, where my wife grew up.”
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