Granit Xhaka has emerged as a surprise transfer target for Chelsea – with the former Arsenal man open to a reunion with former boss Xabi Alonso
Granit Xhaka(Image: (Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images))
Chelsea have had an £8million bid for Granit Xhaka rejected by a furious Sunderland. The Swiss international was a key player for Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen and is open to reuniting with his former boss at Stamford Bridge.
But not only have the Black Cats rejected the offer, they also believe the fee offered is well-wide of the mark, and maintain that Xhaka is not for sale at any price this summer. The midfielder, who still has two years left on his deal, joined Sunderland last summer and played a major role in their Europa League qualification following their promotion to the Premier League.
But given the former Arsenal man is set to turn 34 in September, it is unlikely that Chelsea will want to pay a high fee for the midfielder.
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Xhaka spent two seasons working under Alonso, a period in which the club won the Bundesliga title without losing a single league match, lifted the DFB-Pokal, and reached the Europa League final.
And the 33-year-old holds the new Chelsea boss in high regard, having previously 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.”
It is likely to be another busy summer at Stamford Bridge, as Marc Cucurella has already left the club to join Real Madrid, and Enzo Fernandez could also end up moving to the Santiago Bernabeu.
While they are also fielding interest from Como for Trevoh Chalobah and have agreed a deal to sign the Atalanta right-back Marco Palestra.
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