Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka has reportedly agreed personal terms with Chelsea, just weeks after insisting he was “really happy” and had no plans to leave the club. Xhaka, 33, is said to be keen to join the Blues, but Sunderland say he is not for sale. The Black Cats rejected an offer worth £8m from Chelsea and announced the player would not leave.
The midfielder is currently playing for Switzerland at the World Cup, helping them reach the finals, where they will face Algeria in the Round of 32. Xhaka recently spoke about how he would be able to “fully concentrate” on the competition without any transfer speculation. Speaking to Swiss publication Blick earlier this month, the former Arsenal star declared: “The most important thing for me is that my family is happy and we are here at Sunderland.”
“I’m not thinking about transfers. I’m really happy to finally be able to spend the summer without any speculation about my future, which has rarely happened in recent years. It allows me to focus completely on the World Cup.”
However, Sky Germany reports that Xhaka has agreed personal terms with Chelsea and is in talks with Sunderland over a possible move. Xhaka spent two years at Bayer Leverkusen under new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, winning the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal titles in 2024 and is keen to return to Stamford Bridge.
The Athletic reported that an initial bid of £8m was rejected by Sunderland as it was deemed unacceptable. They intend to refuse to sell the captain this summer.
This came despite spending less than a year at Sunderland, which he previously described as his “second home”. Xhaka was also named club captain by manager Regis Le Bris just over two weeks after joining the Black Cats.
“This is a bit of a home for me,” Xhaka added. “This city is like Basel. It’s like the St. Johann area where I grew up. You can only perform at your best when you feel comfortable in that place.”
Xhaka played a pivotal role under manager Le Blis last season as Sunderland finished seventh in the Premier League. The 33-year-old was widely expected to spearhead the Black Cats’ Europa League campaign next season, but his future at the club has been thrown into doubt.
Alonso has put strengthening his midfield at the top of his priority list this summer, hoping to bring in experienced campaigners. The former Leverkusen manager has also been given the title of manager rather than head coach, suggesting he will wield considerably more influence than his predecessor.
