Chelsea are reportedly trying to sign Granit Xhaka from Sunderland in the summer transfer window.
The 33-year-old is being targeted by the Blues after an impressive season in which he played a key role in the Black Cats finishing seventh in the Premier League and qualifying for Europe.
The midfielder joined Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial £13 million plus £4 million in add-ons last summer, but he looks set to move on already.
Chelsea make shock move for Sunderland star Granit Xhaka
According to Florian Plettenberg, Chelsea have “already reached a full verbal agreement” with Xhaka about a move to Stamford Bridge.
The report claims that the west London outfit are now “in contact” with Sunderland about a possible deal after personal terms with the player were “fully agreed”.
Sky Sports News, however, report that there has been “no club-to-club contact” and Sunderland have no intention of selling one of their most important players.
The Athletic report that new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso is “determined to reunite” with Xhaka after they spent two seasons together at Leverkusen, winning the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double in 2023/24.
The move is part of Chelsea’s wider transfer strategy of signing more experienced players for a squad with an average age of 23.8 years ahead of next season, though they “appear unwilling to pay a large fee” for a player who will turn 34 in September.
Xhaka, who spent seven years at Arsenal before joining Leverkusen in 2023, is currently at the FIFA World Cup with Switzerland. The Swiss qualified for the round of 32 after finishing top of Group B.
Chelsea are also working to sign Italy right-back Marco Palestra from Atalanta.
