Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has addressed rumours that the Magpies could make a January move for Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka.
The former Gunners captain was stripped of the armband this week after an incident in which tensions between the player and Arsenal supporters boiled over.
The Switzerland international appeared to swear at fans before putting his hand behind his ears and taking off his shirt when being substituted off the field against Crystal Palace late last month.
Xhaka has not played for the Gunners since, and it has been confirmed by Unai Emery that he will not feature in the weekend's trip to Leicester.
With it looking as if the 27-year-old could have played his last game in an Arsenal shirt, speculation over where his future may lie has started to swirl ahead of the January transfer window.
One club linked with a possible move for Xhaka is Newcastle United, and when asked in his pre-match press conference about the rumours, Magpies' manager Bruce hinted that a move could be on the cards.
“We have six centre-backs and three right-backs but are a bit short in midfield areas, so we’ll have a little look at that,” he said, as reported by The Guardian .
“You are always looking to add that bit of quality, so we’ll see if we can.”
Xhaka has been at Arsenal since 2016 and has played 144 times for the club over the three-and-a-half year spell.
