Chelsea have reached an agreement to sign Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka this summer, according to reports. The 33-year-old midfielder, who spent seven seasons at Arsenal, has verbally agreed to move to Stamford Bridge after a request from Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso.
Xhaka's return to the Premier League
Xhaka returned to the Premier League last year when Sunderland agreed a deal with Bayer Leverkusen worth £13 million plus £4 million in add-ons. He quickly established himself as a key figure at Sunderland, helping Regis Le Bris' side finish seventh in the Premier League last season. The Swiss international, who is captaining Switzerland at the World Cup this summer, still has two years remaining on his contract with Sunderland.
Alonso's influence on the move
According to Sky Sports Germany and Swiss outlet Blick, Xabi Alonso asked Chelsea to sign Xhaka, and the midfielder has agreed to make the move. However, Chelsea are yet to reach an agreement with Sunderland over a transfer fee, and the Black Cats are in a relatively strong negotiating position due to Xhaka's contract length. After leaving Arsenal in 2023, Xhaka became a pivotal player in Alonso's side at Bayer Leverkusen, which went 51 games unbeaten and won the German league and cup double the following year.
Speaking about Alonso during their time together at Leverkusen, Xhaka said: 'He is not a coach that is looking out for the names or status of players, in terms of who is older or younger, or who has played more games. During the week, he is thinking about who deserves to play at the weekend because they are training well. He gives every player the chance to prove their importance to the team. I think to manage this is so difficult because you have different types of characters and nationalities, different languages. But he has this experience as a player to give confidence to everyone. That's why we performed like this as well.'
Impact at Sunderland
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris highlighted the impact Xhaka made on his side last season after they secured qualification for the Europa League. Le Bris said: 'It's a privilege to coach a player like Granit Xhaka, he's so demanding with himself and he creates the condition to be demanding with others. It's not explicit but for the players and the coaching staff it lifts the standards. It's a real pleasure and a privilege to be the manager of this kind of player. After that the personality is the personality. Granit is emotional and intense and when he becomes a manager – I don't know when, there's no rush – he'll have to respect this personality as well. As a manager you set the tone for the players. If you are too high or too low it becomes a problem but you have to stay real to yourself as well.'
Other Chelsea transfer activity
Chelsea are also on the verge of completing a €60 million (£51.6 million) deal to sign Italian right-back Marco Palestra from Atalanta. The club have also set a new price for Manchester City to sign Malo Gusto following the Palestra transfer.
