Report: Leverkusen's Xhaka reaches agreement with Sunderland
According to the report, the 32-year-old is prioritizing a move to Sunderland over other suitors, but club-to-club over a deal for the Swiss midfielder are still underway.
Xhaka has a contract with Leverkusen until 2028, but The Athletic said that he has asked the club to close the proposed transfer rapidly.
Speaking to broadcaster Sky, his agent, José Noguera said: "We have reached an agreement with Sunderland. Granit wants to return to the Premier League.
"Sunderland appeals to him and he wants to accept this challenge. We hope that Leverkusen will agree to his transfer request and that the clubs will reach an agreement soon."
The Arsenal player has played a key role for Leverkusen across his two seasons at the Bundesliga side, helping them claim the Bundesliga and German Cup titles in the unbeaten 2023-24 season.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Liverpool ready to make mega first bid for Alexander Isak
Liverpool are reportedly ready to make a mega first bid to sign Alexander Isak. It's all happening at the club right now. Hugo Ekitike has barely walked through the doors and landed in Hong Kong to become a Liverpool player but already the Reds might be moving to bring in another new addition. LFC Kits Shop Now LFC x New Era Shop Now LFC Signed Merch Shop Now LFC x Titleist Shop Now It has been clear from the beginning of this summer that the ultimate dream for Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes is to sign Isak. The Newcastle United forward is seen as the perfect addition to evolve this Arne Slot side and make them into one of the best teams not just in Europe but across the world. With Ekitike arriving, it looked like that dream was over. The Reds have 'settled' on an alternative. However, that is far from the truth. It looks like Liverpool are still interested in Isak and could make a move for him this summer. The plan seems to be Ekitike and Isak playing together, or perhaps rotating between each other going forward next season. That would be some pairing alongside the likes of Florian Wirtz and Mohamed Salah. However, a lot still needs to happen to make it a reality. For now Liverpool are definitely a step closer towards getting Isak. As per Fabrizio Romano, Isak has requested Newcastle to leave the club. The Swede was left out of Newcastle's travelling squad to Singapore due to a 'thigh injury' according to the club. However, with this request and Liverpool's interest, there may have been an ulterior motive behind his decision to stay in the United Kingdom. Reading between the lines, it's clear that Isak wants to leave Newcastle and that his preference would be to join Liverpool. Now the only thing standing in between that dream is Newcastle themselves, who will remain reluctant to sell their prized asset and will only do so for the right offer. What that offer is remains to be seen. But it seems like the Reds are preparing to make one. According to the Liverpool ECHO, the Reds are now ready and on 'standby' to make a mega British record offer for the services of Isak. The thing that remains is the encouragement or at least acknowledgement from Newcastle's side that they are willing to listen to offers. If that comes, the bid will be placed and at the very least, considering it will be a British record, which is expected to be in excess of £120m. Those are numbers you simply cannot turn down. **👉 **Liverpool set to increase transfer budget by £200m 🔗
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fox evolved its approach to women's soccer with Euros broadcast. Were the changes enough or too late?
As Euro 2025 comes to a close, all signs point to the tournament finally enjoying its breakout moment in the United States. It culminates on Sunday in a 2023 World Cup final rematch between England and Spain — an ideal clash for attracting an American audience. While the international break still has a few more days to go, there's enough data to assess what's worked, what hasn't and where the growth of women's soccer in America goes from here. There's never been any doubt that this country watches the U.S. women's national team. The 2015 Women's World Cup win over Japan remains one of the most-watched soccer games in the country (26.7 million average viewers), only barely edged out by the 2022 men's World Cup final between Argentina and France (26.73 million). There's a massive difference, however, between casual and new fans tuning in for the USWNT during a World Cup and pulling in viewers for the Euros, or the Women's Africa Cup of Nations or Copa America Femenina, even with the presence of NWSL players at all three tournaments. Ahead of this summer of soccer, I wrote in the 'Full Time' newsletter that these overlapping events — more so than a singular Women's World Cup — would reveal the true growth of women's soccer. The Euros, of the three options, was the most instructive test of how hungry an American audience would be for non-USWNT soccer, largely because of how Fox Sports approached its broadcast presentation. Despite little promotion ahead of the tournament, Fox Sports bet big by putting most games on either the primary Fox channel or FS1, with only one match relegated to FS2. This towers over the approach from ESPN in 2022, which split the tournament between broadcast and streaming (two matches on ESPN, including the final, 21 on ESPN2 and eight on ESPN+). And is also a different world compared to the 2017 edition in the Netherlands, which entirely utilized ESPN3 and their app. Fox, which said that they would air over 130 hours of live women's soccer coverage this summer between the Euros and Copa America Femenina, has supplemented their Euros coverage with a studio show featuring analysts and former players, including Carli Lloyd, Ari Hingst, Jen Beattie and others. (Copa América, compared to the Euros, has gotten a more basic approach, with the games largely split between FS1 and FS2. The dichotomy in coverage between the two tournaments is notable.) Ahead of the Euros, Fox Sports president of insights and analytics Mike Mulvihill told Sports Business Journal that the network was targeting 50 percent growth for viewership. They've easily surpassed that number, averaging over 90 percent through the group stage with a 2025 average viewership of 306,000 compared to 2022's 161,000 viewers. France's 2-1 win over England provided the largest spike of the group stage, with 690,000 viewers, thanks to its placement on Fox and a favorable Saturday afternoon timeslot. The quarterfinals continued the trend, nearly reaching the one million viewership mark with Germany's thrilling 6-5 penalty shootout win over France (925,000 viewers). In 2022, quarterfinal viewership averaged 283,000 viewers; this summer, it has averaged out at 776,000 viewers. The number one driver is increased accessibility, but Fox has gotten other calls right, too, even as their overall strategy for soccer remains disappointingly on brand. Bringing former German international player Hingst back in as the primary expert voice has been the highlight of their studio work — with her well-researched analysis on all of the teams and her emotional connection to Germany (especially while watching Germany survive and advance into the semifinals). Fox has never gone for the banter the way CBS has leaned in on men's Champions League, but Hingst provided a blueprint that knowledge doesn't preclude fun behind a desk. Former Scotland international Beattie was a strong new addition to Fox's team, both at the desk and in the booth for color commentary alongside regular play-by-play analyst John Strong. The only flaw was her departure from Fox's studio in Los Angeles to watch the tournament in person in Switzerland (and that Fox had her pulling double duty with Copa America). Fox leaned not just on familiar voices but largely turned to established pairs for its match commentary. Jacqui Oatley and Lori Lindsey have been regular fixtures in the NWSL, as have JP Dellacamera and Lianne Sanderson. It's not surprising that Fox didn't fully invest in this area, keeping the teams in Los Angeles rather than having them in the stadium. It did, at points, cause issues, but understandable ones. It also wouldn't be a Fox Soccer broadcast without the heavy rotation of former U.S. players participating. Lloyd, who was a divisive presence during the 2023 World Cup broadcast, especially in her approach to covering the USWNT, has settled in following a couple of major tournaments' worth of reps behind the desk. Her trademark bluntness hasn't gone anywhere, but she has gotten better at pointing it in a productive direction. If Fox chose to rely solely on Lloyd for an American lens to these international tournaments, I'd find it a justifiable choice. A famous U.S. player helps bridge the gap to American fans, and using her own experience in major tournaments provides familiar reference points for the every-four-years World Cup viewer. It's not just Lloyd, though. Fox continues to stress these voices far too much, with the greatest example continuing to be former U.S. men's player Alexi Lalas. Lalas has always been the most divisive presence in Fox's coverage — the bombastic approach either works for you or it really, really doesn't. Every major tournament that Fox airs, I wonder what value Lalas adds to a broadcast to engage, entertain and inform new and returning viewers. Maybe there are still some women's soccer die-hards who still hate watch to see what Lalas will say next, but most social media commentary I see states time and time again that the existing women's soccer audience in this country is opting out of watching Fox's studio commentary. Of course, it's not a studio analyst's job to protect players or teams, or rely solely on positive commentary throughout a tournament — the 'toxic positivity' of the women's soccer space has long been an element holding the growth of the sport back. The majority of the former women's players serving Fox's studio analysts — including Lloyd — have largely balanced praising what's worked for teams and pointing out what hasn't, all with halftime or full time film. Women's soccer has, however, long outgrown the need for Lalas to serve as the default Fox perspective, shouting for shouting's sake. He has not been ever-present in this tournament, but he regained a prominent role during the Italy-England semifinal (and, presumably, the final) when viewership will peak. I'd like to think that Fox evaluates itself after every major tournament, but with the viewership increases we've seen, I expect the same strategy will persist. At the same time, Fox has lost ground in the rapidly shifting landscape for women's soccer media rights to both traditional competition and new challengers. CBS has been aggressive in signing deals with Concacaf, and most recently, picking up the rights to the women's Champions League to live alongside its men's coverage. But the big loss for Fox was to Netflix, which won the rights to air both the 2027 and 2031 Women's World Cup during FIFA's bidding process. Accessibility remains the key to viewership growth, but it is not the only ingredient for sustained growth that benefits the entire sport and media infrastructure. The players and teams of the 2025 Euros have provided exciting matches, plenty of drama and a record amount of soccer to boot, with four knockout stage games going to extra time. That's another crucial piece to keeping new and casual viewers hooked, and looking for more. But so is robust, thoughtful commentary and analysis from the media rights holder. Fox has certainly improved on this front, but has yet to shed its worst impulses. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. International Football, Sports Business, Women's Soccer, Women's Euros 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jets QB Justin Fields reportedly carted off field during Thursday's practice
New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields was carted off the field during Thursday's practice, according to SNY's Connor Hughes. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Fields, who signed a two-year, $40 million contract in the offseason to come to New York after spending last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, reportedly injured his leg. The team then ended what they were doing in practice and began working on special teams. According to Hughes, after Fields threw an incompletion, he sat down and stood up before limping off the field. Trainers were seen removing his right cleat to work on him. This story will be updated