Granit Xhaka transfer: Sunderland agree deal to sign former Arsenal midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen
Granit Xhaka has arrived in the UK to undergo a medical; Xhaka has 137 caps for Switzerland and won the Bundesliga title with Leverkusen; he last played in England with Arsenal
Monday 28 July 2025 22:08, UK
Sunderland have agreed a fee with Bayer Leverkusen for Granit Xhaka.
Sky Sports News understands the fee is in the region of £17m, costing Sunderland an initial £13m with up to £4m in add-ons.
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Sunderland agreed personal terms with the former Arsenal man last week and the 32-year-old will sign a three-year deal and give vital experience to the Mackems' midfield.
The Premier League newcomers upped their total offer by £7m to get the deal done and Xhaka has been given permission to travel to the UK to undergo a medical.
He arrived by private plane on Monday evening and was pictured getting off the plane alongside Sunderland owner Kyril Louis Dreyfus.
Xhaka made 33 Bundesliga appearances last season, scoring twice and setting up seven goals. Before joining Leverkusen he played 297 times for Arsenal, scoring 23 times and making 26 assists.
Speaking last week, Leverkusen boss Erik ten Hag suggested a Xhaka departure was not possible following Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong's moves to Liverpool and Jonathan Tah's transfer to Bayern Munich.
"This club has already sold three important players," the former Man Utd boss said.
"We won't let go of any more players; that's not possible. That would neglect the structure and culture of the squad.
"Clearly, Granit is a leader. He signed for five years and has three years left on his contract. He's too important for us to let go."
Simon Rolfes, Leverkusen's sporting managing director, added: "I've always said that Granit is an important leader. The coach and I have a very similar perspective."
Sunderland have already spent £107m so far this summer on six new signings.
Analysis: 'Metronome' Xhaka could transform Sunderland's survival hopes
Sky Sports' Sam Blitz:
For the promoted clubs, bringing in Premier League quality will be crucial to their survival. Sunderland signing Brighton winger Simon Adingra is a start, but Granit Xhaka will be a stratospheric signing.
The Switzerland international had a mixed career at Arsenal but one key theme stood out: managers kept picking him.
Arsene Wenger and Mikel Arteta kept him as a key member of the team despite his countless red cards, with the current Arsenal manager even bringing him back from the cold after a major falling out with the club's supporters, which led to his captaincy being taken away by Unai Emery.
It's because - despite the controversy Xhaka can bring - he is the metronome in every team he plays for.
His stability was vital to Bayer Leverkusen winning the league and cup double in his first season, while even last term - a more disappointing campaign in comparison - saw Xhaka show his worth.
Only Joshua Kimmich managed more passes in open play and final-third balls than Xhaka last term, while his pass accuracy of 90 per cent showed his reliability in possession.
Of course, Xhaka playing for a relegation-threatened Sunderland side will contrast very differently to the possession-heavy spells at Arsenal and Leverkusen.
But he was Arsenal captain and part of Leverkusen's leadership group. If a deal gets completed, this is a signing that will give the Black Cats a huge survival boost.
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