Granit Xhaka Braced for Arsenal Exit & Eyes January Move to Milan

Granit Xhaka is reportedly already preparing for a move from Arsenal to Milan by looking at houses to buy in the Italian city.

The Swiss international has not played since being stripped of the Arsenal captaincy after his extraordinary reaction to crowd taunts when he was substituted at home to Crystal Palace last month.

He released a brief statement after the incident in which he cited the outrageous treatment he has received from fans on social media as the main reason for his outburst, and stated in a recent interview with SonntagsBlick that he wants to "keep fighting" for the Gunners.

However, according to ​RSI Sport, the Switzerland captain is already house hunting in Northern Italy ahead of a winter switch to Serie A side ​Milan.

It is thought that Xhaka's close relationship with Milan chief executive Ivan Gazidis could play a key role in the transfer, after the South African held the same role at ​Arsenal for nine years between 2009 and 2018, and oversaw his transfer to the Emirates Stadium.

Xhaka is thought to be keen on a move to the Rossoneri so that he can keep playing ahead of Euro 2020 next summer.

The former Borussia Mönchengladbach man was named as the first of Arsenal's five captains by boss Unai Emery, two months after previous skipper Laurent Koscielny left for Bordeaux.

This initial decision was met with great frustration from Gooners, who view the 27 year-old as a liability in the middle of the park after he has committed more errors leading to goals than any other Arsenal player since the start of last season.

Despite being ​stripped of the captaincy of his club side, Xhaka is still captain of the Swiss national team, and has 80 caps and 11 goals for his country,