Monchengladbach sign Basel midfielder Xhaka

Berlin, May 19 (IANS): German football side Borussia Monchengladbach has reinforced its squad with Swiss international Granit Xhaka until 2017.

The 19-year-old Kosovo-born Granit Xhaka transferred from Basel to Monchengladbach following his signature under a five-year contract, the German club announced Friday.

“I’m delighted that the signing of the contract finally worked out. The decision was not hard. From the start I decided for Monchengladbach because it is a fantastic club,” Xhaka was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Xhaka joined the professional team of Basel in 2010 to score two goals in 37 matches. In May last year ,Xhaka he was nominated for the national squad by Swiss national team coach Ottmar Hitzfeld. Since then, he scored one goal in seven caps.

“In our efforts to sign Xhaka, we were competing with a number of European top clubs. Therefore, we are glad that we have managed to get him to Borussia,” Monchengladbach sports director Max Eberl said.

Both sides keep silence over the transfer fee for Xhaka, who will wear jersey No.34 at his new team.