Sunderland have rejected Chelsea‘s shock £8million bid for captain Granit Xhaka and insist he isn’t for sale.
Daily Mail Sport reported news of the surprise interest on Saturday, with the move driven by new Blues boss Xabi Alonso, who worked with Xhaka at Bayer Leverkusen.
However, Sunderland have no intentions of selling the Swiss midfielder and sources told Daily Mail Sport that they consider Chelsea’s £8m offer as ‘insulting’.
The Black Cats have no intention of selling Xhaka and don’t want any more bids to come in from Chelsea or another club.
The 33-year-old, who spent seven years at Arsenal between 2016 and 2023, joined Sunderland from Leverkusen for a fee rising to £17m last summer.
He was made captain and helped lead Regis Le Bris’ side to an unexpected seventh-place finish and Europa League qualification.
Sunderland have rejected Chelsea’s £8m bid for Granit Xhaka and insist he isn’t for sale
Xhaka subsequently emerged one of the midfield options Chelsea are assessing this summer as they look to add players with proven Premier League experience to their young squad.
The midfielder turns 34 in September so Chelsea would not want to pay too much if a move was to progress.
He is under contract at the Stadium of Light until 2028 but Daily Mail Sport understands he is keen on linking up again with Alonso and being part of a new project.
During their time together in Germany, Alonso and Xhaka helped Leverkusen win the Bundesliga title for the first time in their history.
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