Granit Xhaka is closing in on a move to Sunderland after they agreed a £17m deal with Bayer Leverkusen for the former Arsenal midfielder.
Xhaka has been eager to return to the Premier League and now has his wish after Sunderland agreed to pay £13m upfront for the 32-year-old Switzerland international, with the remaining £4m made up of add-ons. All going well, Xhaka will sign a three-year deal with Régis Le Bris’s newly promoted side.
Leverkusen’s head coach, Erik ten Hag, was keen on keeping Xhaka at Leverkusen having already lost Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Jonathan Tah this summer. Xhaka was also part of the side that won the German double and reached the Europa League final in 2024. He was also an integral member of the team that finished second to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga last season, as well as featuring 10 times in the Champions League.
Le Bris wanted to add greater Premier League experience to his midfield and had enquired about the availability of Jordan Henderson before the former Sunderland player elected to join Brentford after leaving Ajax. During Xhaka’s seven years at Arsenal he won the FA Cup twice and, overall, made 297 appearances for the club.
Xhaka would become Sunderland’s seventh signing of the summer, following in the footsteps of Habib Diarra, Noah Sadiki, Simon Adingra. Chemsdine Talbi, Reinildo Mandava and Enzo Le Fée. Of the new arrivals only Adingra has prior Premier League experience having made 60 appearances for Brighton.
Meanwhile, Xhaka’s fellow Swiss international Dan Ndoye remains a target for Nottingham Forest, who are working on a deal to sign the winger from Bologna. Talks between both clubs have taken place in recent weeks and there is optimism a deal can be agreed for a player who is keen on moving to England.
