Sunderland’s signing of Granit Xhaka proved to be one of the Premier League’s best transfers last summer.
The then-newly promoted Black Cats paid out £13million to bring the Swiss back to the Premier League from Bayer Leverkusen, with head coach Regis Le Bris quickly naming the 33-year-old as his captain.
This decision was instantly vindicated as Xhaka became the lynchpin in Sunderland’s midfield, missing just four Premier League games all season as Le Bris’ side defied expectations with the pre-season relegation favourites surging to a seventh-placed finish and a place in next season’s Europa League.
Xhaka agrees terms with Premier League rival: report
Earlier this month Xhaka reflected on his first season at the Stadium of Light, claiming that “it’s a bit like home for me,” in an interview with Swiss outlet Blick prior to the World Cup.
“The city feels like Basel. Like the St. Johann district where I grew up. You can only perform at your best when you feel comfortable in a place,” he added.
Now, however, Xhaka has reportedly agreed personal terms with with Chelsea, as new Blues boss Xabi Alonso looks to reunited with his former Bayer Leverkusen stalwart.
Sky Germany report that Chelsea are now in talks with Sunderland over a deal for Xhaka after the Blues reached a ‘full verbal agreement’ with the player.
Alonso was appointed as Chelsea boss at the end of the season, replacing Enzo Maresca in the role, following the Italian’s dismissal back in April. Alonso had been out of work since January, when a turbulent six-month spell at Real Madrid came to an end.
The Spaniard’s managerial high-point was his 2023/24 unbeaten Bundesliga title victory with Leverkusen, a campaign in which Xhaka was instrumental, turning out 50 times in all competitions, with Alonso clearly keen on a reunion at Stamford Bridge.
Alonso is reportedly looking to add experienced players to his squad, as Chelsea get set for another busy season in the transfer market. This has already seen left-back Marc Cucurella join Real Madrid, who have also been linked with midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
Xhaka is currently at the World Cup with Switzerland who are preparing for a last-32 clash against Algeria, and said prior to the tournament that he was settled in the north east.
"For me, the most important thing is that my family is happy,” he added in the Blick interview. “And we are in Sunderland. I'm not even thinking about a transfer. I'm really happy to finally have a summer without any speculation about my future. That's rarely been the case in recent years. This allows me to fully focus on the World Cup."
In FourFourTwo’s view, it’s easy to understand why Alonso would be looking to bring in a trusted lieutenant to a squad that has been assembled in a haphazard manner in recent years. But with Xhaka having another two years on his contract, Sunderland will not need to roll over in negotiations and can dig their heels in to get a fee larger than his €8million Transfermarkt valuation for a player who turns 34 in September.
