Chelsea want to strengthen their squad by signing Granit Xhaka, a player new manager Xabi Alonso knows well, but Sunderland have no intention of selling the Swiss star.
Chelsea have rejected an offer for Granit Xhaka (Image: Soccrates Images, Getty Images)
Sunderland have rejected Chelsea’s £8m offer for Granit Xhaka, informing their Premier League rivals that they will not sell the midfielder this summer.
Xhaka has emerged as a surprise target for Chelsea in recent days, with the club’s next manager, Xabi Alonso, keen to sign the influential Swiss midfielder from the Bayer Leverkusen team he led to the Bundesliga title in 2024.
However, Sunderland were determined to keep the former Arsenal captain and subsequently turned down an offer from Chelsea for Xhaka.
The Athletic reports that Sunderland have not only rejected Chelsea’s £8m offer as “unacceptable” but also informed the Blues that Xhaka will not be sold at any price.
What that means for Xhaka remains to be seen, but he is said to have already agreed personal terms with the Blues.
The 33-year-old only joined Sunderland last summer on his return to the Premier League in a deal worth £17.5m and quickly emerged as an influential figure in a team that exceeded all expectations in the Premier League, finishing seventh and qualifying for Europe.
Xhaka’s reported desire to return to London and reunite with Alonso marks a significant change from his comments until last month, when he said he was happily living with his family at Sunderland and had “not even thought about” a move.
Xhaka had a great season at Sunderland after returning to the Premier League (Image: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Xhaka told Brick: “The most important thing for me is that my family is happy and we are 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.”
Xhaka and Switzerland will face Algeria in the World Cup’s round of 32 after advancing to the knockout stages as winners of Group B with seven points. They defeated Canada, one of the host countries, in the final match of the group, clinching first place.
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