Granit Xhaka hints at Arsenal deal after approaching Francis Coquelin over shirt number

Xhaka, 23, has become one of the most talked about players in the current transfer window – with Liverpool and Arsenal among a number of clubs linked with the versatile Swiss. Latest reports suggest the Gunners are ready to pay £37 million in order to sign Xhaka in the summer, boosting their midfield ranks further following the recent signing of Mohamed Elneny.

The deal is complicated by Xhaka’s desire to continue wearing his favourite number, 34, on his shirt – a squad number Coquelin currently holds at the Emirates Stadium. However, Xhaka has now suggested that he has already spoken with the enforcer about taking the shirt off him next season - suggesting that transfer talks with the Premier League side might already be at an advanced stage.

"That was my first professional number at Basel," Xhaka told German publication Tor Fabrik, when asked about the significance of his shirt number. "It's even tattooed on my back. I would also like to wear it in the future."

He added: "It was also here in Gladbach, with Amin Younes [who had the number before Xhaka]. And at Arsenal Coquelin has it. I've spoken with him, he would like to take another number!"

When asked about the speculation surrounding his long-term future, the Switzerland international acknowledged that his ambition is to play in England.

“I have a childhood dream, that is the Premier League," he said. "Whether I play two or a hundred games in England, I would like to eventually make this childhood dream come true."

Xhaka’s Gladbach contract expires in 2019, with any interested party likely to have to meet the club’s valuation in order to lure him from the Bundesliga.