Sunderland Sign Granit Xhaka In $23 Million Deal From Leverkusen
In Granit Xhaka, Bayer Leverkusen is set to lose another key player of its 2024 double-winning squad. After head coach Xabi Alonso left the club for Real Madrid, Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong joined Liverpool. Midfielder Granit Xhaka is now off to Sunderland in a deal worth €20 million ($23 million).
It is a remarkable amount of money for a 32-year-old midfielder. Indeed, it is a noteworthy deal in its entirety. The Swiss national team player has turned his back on playing in the Champions League to return to England and play for Sunderland, a relegation candidate.
How did we get here? The main reason is money. Although Leverkusen is a top team in Germany, Sunderland was willing to top Xhaka's current salary of €8 million ($9.3 million). Sunderland reportedly offered €10 million ($11.6 million) a season.
Ultimately, the financial allure of one last contract was too much for Xhaka to resist, even if it meant a significant step back in sporting terms. For Leverkusen, too, this is good business.
Xhaka was signed on a free transfer from Arsenal in 2023 and subsequently became a crucial member of a squad that went on to become the first undefeated German champion in Bundesliga history in 2024. However, there were definite signs during the 2024/25 campaign that Xhaka had passed his peak powers.
Whereas the Swiss international was the most dominant midfielder in German football in 2023/24, Xhaka was no longer infallible. Tiny mistakes in crucial games led Leverkusen to struggle in upholding the form from the previous season, and they ultimately lost out on the Bundesliga title, finishing second to Bayern Munich.
Granit Xhaka's leadership will be missed in Leverkusen (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty ... More Images)
Despite the apparent drop in form, Leverkusen tried to keep Xhaka. "This club has already lost three important players," new head coach Erik Ten Hag said when asked about Xhaka's future. "We won't let any more players go, that's not possible. That would neglect the structure and also the culture of the squad. It's clear—Granit is a leader; he has signed here for five years and has three years left on his contract. He's too important for us to let him go."
Leverkusen's sporting director, Simon Rolfes, was a bit more diplomatic. 'A transfer is only possible if it is a win-win situation,' Rolfes said. 'A transfer will only be possible if it works out for all sides. Ultimately, our goal is to keep Granit.'
That last part won't happen, with Fabrizio Romano posting an image of Xhaka and his agents on their way to England for his medical on Monday. Ultimately, Leverkusen was unable to convince Xhaka to remain with the club.
Despite his notable decline, that's a significant loss for Leverkusen. Xhaka was a leader on and off the pitch. Rolfes and Ten Hag will now have to find a way to replace the 32-year-old midfielder in the middle of the park. Sign a player who can both be a defensive destroyer and a pivot player.
Sunderland, in the meantime, gains much-needed leadership. Xhaka was involved in the relegation battle during the early stages of his career, when he was still playing for Gladbach. That's over a decade ago. Whether Xhaka can dip into that experience for Sunderland this season remains to be seen.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Arsenal have spent £187m: Do they need to sell? What is their PSR position? Who could go?
Arsenal have had a productive summer in the transfer market with their spending approaching £190million. Mikel Arteta has strengthened his squad through the acquisitions of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and winger Noni Madueke from Chelsea, Christian Norgaard from Brentford, and midfielder Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad. Advertisement The club has also added striker Viktor Gyokeres, their marquee signing from Sporting CP, in a deal worth €63.5million (£54.8m; $74.2m) plus €10m of future bonuses, as well as defender Cristhian Mosquera for about €15m from Valencia. But despite this important and heavy investment, Arsenal are still short of what Chelsea and Liverpool have spent this summer. Liverpool are the biggest spenders, splashing out in the region of £300million to sign Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong. Chelsea have spent just over £200m on Jamie Gittens, Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Estevao, Dario Essugo, Mamadou Sarr, and Kendry Paez. The latter are also closing in on a deal for Jorrel Hato from Ajax for a price worth more than €40million. Manchester United have also had their chequebook out but, like Arsenal, remain under £200m, with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha costing them just under a combined £130m. But Arsenal's spending may not be over, as another wide player could still be added. So, how much leeway do they have for further expenditure? Will it require sales? And how mindful of the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR) should they be? The Athletic takes a look… Arsenal's outlay on new signings, excluding any potential add-ons, is just shy of £190million. Arrizabalaga arrived from Chelsea at the beginning of July in a deal worth £5m, with Arsenal spending an initial £48.5m to also sign Madueke from their Premier League rivals. The Madueke transfer includes the possibility of an additional £3.5m going to Chelsea in add-ons. Norgaard, who has penned a two-year deal, cost £10m, while Zubimendi arrived for €65m. After a lengthy negotiation with Sporting, an initial £54.8m deal for Gyokeres was agreed, with Arsenal committing to a further £8.7m in add-ons if certain clauses are triggered. Mosquera, who travelled to Singapore on Monday as his transfer neared completion, joined from Valencia for about £13m. Arsenal's most recent set of published financial accounts, for the year ended May 31, 2024, saw them post a pre-tax loss of £17.7m, meaning it was their sixth loss-making year in a row, having previously made a profit for 16 consecutive years. Since Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) took full ownership of the club in 2018, they have invested heavily in the squad, which has coincided with losses totalling £328.7m in six years. Despite the losses, they have enjoyed significant revenue growth, owing to regular Champions League football, and posted record revenues of over £610m in 2023-24. Although they have posted losses for the last six years, the club is on relatively solid footing for PSR. The Athletic previously estimated that they could lose up to £97m in 2024-25 and remain compliant with the fiscal rules. Arsenal remain open to the prospect of further strengthening their squad if a suitable deal presents itself, although any additions are likely to be in the attacking department. Real Madrid's Rodrygo and Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon, both left-wingers, are admired by the club, and they have also explored a potential deal for Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze. Arsenal had been heavy spenders for a few years, but came closer to balancing their books last season. In the three seasons from 2021-22 to 2023-24, Arsenal's net transfer spend was £563.7m. In contrast, their net transfer spend was just £20.9m in 2024-25, as the sales of Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Aaron Ramsdale offset the majority of the money spent on Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino and David Raya. Advertisement After a relatively fallow year, they had greater scope to buy again this summer. They almost certainly set a new club record for revenues from 2024-25, surpassing what they generated in 2023-24, after a successful campaign that saw them reach the Champions League semi-final. They are not pushing themselves up to the PSR limit, but if they keep signing expensive players, they will need to recoup money through sales, as would be the case for any Premier League side. Arsenal also need to be wary of UEFA's tight squad-cost rules. The European governing body sets a limit on the amount of revenue clubs competing in its competitions can spend on transfer fees, player wages, and agent fees. From the 2025-26 season, it will be 70 per cent. In the 2023-24 season, Arsenal's accounts show their wages-to-revenue ratio was 53 per cent. Wages will have increased since then but so have their revenues. Space has also been freed up on the wage bill from Thomas Partey and Jorginho's departures this summer. Arsenal's record sale remains Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool for £35million in August 2017, so their track record at generating significant fees has not been great recently. Chelsea, for example, are as good at selling players as they are at buying them, having already generated more than £100m this summer in sales. Although they may not have to sell this window to comply with PSR, that doesn't mean they don't want to sell. The club's owners want Arsenal to be self-sufficient and want to see them make use of player trading to maximise their resources, all with a view to sustainably reinvesting as much as possible back onto the pitch. That said, Arsenal do have saleable assets. Fabio Vieira, 25, who is yet to return for pre-season after his involvement with Porto in the Club World Cup, is available. As reported in the Transfer DealSheet on Tuesday, they may be willing to listen to offers for either Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard if a wider player can be brought in. Advertisement Oleksandr Zinchenko, meanwhile, is also in the shop window but the 28-year-old has less than 12 months left on his contract, significantly limiting his value. There is a possibility that the Ukrainian will leave for nothing next summer. Reiss Nelson has been made available for sale, with Fulham in advanced talks with Arsenal to sign the 25-year-old winger. Having joined Arsenal's academy aged nine, any transfer fee for Nelson would count as pure profit in the club's PSR calculations. Additional reporting: Chris Weatherspoon and James McNicholas
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
The 10 players to keep an eye on over the rest of the transfer window
Over halfway through the main summer transfer window, several Premier League stars' futures remain up in the air, and multiple high-profile moves are still on the cards. The window reopened on June 16 (there had been an initial early one between June 1 and 10 before the Club World Cup) and will close on the evening of Monday, September 1. Advertisement Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal), Liam Delap (Chelsea) and Bryan Mbeumo (Manchester United) are among the marquee signings so far. But there are plenty more deals that clubs will be trying to get done over the next month — and players who will want to move on. Here, The Athletic breaks down the key moves to watch out for over the coming month. Newcastle's stance all along has been that Alexander Isak is not for sale. However, as David Ornstein reported on Thursday, the Swedish striker has now told the club he wants to leave after three seasons and he has not travelled on their pre-season tour to Singapore and South Korea. Newcastle have been exploring potential replacements, in case they do end up selling. Losing Isak's eye for goal as they prepare to compete in the coming season's Champions League would be a huge blow, but head coach Eddie Howe is clearly aware it could happen: 'I would love to believe all possibilities are still available to us. My wish is that he stays, but that's not in my full control.' Premier League champions Liverpool seem his most likely destination. The Anfield club indicated they would be willing to pay up to £120million ($160m) for Isak. A move has not progressed, but the player wanting a move could test Newcastle's resolve. While Arsenal's admiration for the 25-year-old is well-known, the arrival of his countryman and fellow striker Gyokeres at the Emirates Stadium probably changes their outlook. Chelsea do not have Jackson up for sale, but he could move on in this window if they receive a big enough offer. The Senegal international striker scored 10 goals in 30 Premier League games in 2024-25, but has come in for criticism at times, not least for his red card and two-match ban at the recent Club World Cup. Chelsea have added Delap and Joao Pedro to their attacking options in this window, so a transfer for the 24-year-old in the coming weeks could make sense for all parties. He is under contract until 2033, so Chelsea have no need to sell. Manchester United had explored a deal for Jackson but have now ruled him out of their search due to the world champions' asking price. When Manchester City broke both theirs and the British transfer record to sign Grealish from Aston Villa in summer 2021, or when he helped them to a historic treble in 2022-23, they likely would not have expected to be saying goodbye to him in 2025. Now, though, Grealish has fallen out of favour at the Etihad Stadium. He only started seven Premier League matches last season and was then left out of their Club World Cup squad entirely. Advertisement 'Do I want the Jack that won the treble? Yeah, I want it, but I try to be honest with myself,' City manager Pep Guardiola said in January. 'I fought a lot for him, fought a lot to be here. I know that he can do it, because I saw him. I saw his level and I want that, every single training session and every single game.' Guardiola insisted excluding Grealish from City's final Premier League game of the season in May was 'nothing personal' — but whatever the reason for his drop down the pecking order, an exit feels beneficial for both parties. Grealish is better suited to a more creative and free-flowing role than he has had at City, and he needs minutes to stand any chance of being in England's 2026 World Cup squad. Guardiola has been vocal about wanting to trim his number of first-team players at City. A destination is not clear, especially given Grealish's high wages and the fact he turns 30 in September. On the other side of Manchester, there are several players United want to move on this summer. At 21, Garnacho must be the most attractive of that group to suitors. After a public fallout from his lack of minutes in May's Europa League final, and head coach Ruben Amorim telling Garnacho in front of his team-mates to find a new club, his exit has gone from something United would have reluctantly considered in January to a key aim in July. Unlike most of United's so-called 'bomb squad', Garnacho still has credit in the bank from strong recent performances, which should make it easier for the club to command a respectable fee for him. As reported in the latest Transfer DealSheet, Chelsea are interested in the Argentina winger. Amorim has insisted that United's out-of-favour players will not be sold off on the cheap, and there is a chance of them rejoining the team. Tottenham Hotspur have a difficult decision to make on Son's future. Whatever happens, he will always be the captain who ended the club's 17-year trophy drought in that Europa League final in May, but he turned 33 this month and has less than a year left on his contract. The Athletic reported on July 23 that Los Angeles FC want to sign Son before the MLS transfer window closes on August 21. Advertisement New Spurs head coach Thomas Frank has not decided whether Son will still be captain in the coming season. When asked about the forward's future in his first press conference after taking the job, Frank said: 'It's always tricky, situations like that. Right now, I have a player who is fully committed and training well. If a player has been at a club a long time, then there will always be a decision for the club to take.' The France international forward is among the players Chelsea are considering selling this summer to cut down their squad size. With the arrivals of Delap and Joao Pedro, Nkunku's minutes do not seem likely to improve — and he only made nine Premier League starts last season. The Athletic reported that Chelsea have significantly reduced their asking price for Nkunku, from £65million in January to about £43.3m in the current window. He has attracted interest from other Premier League clubs, as well as clubs in Italy and Germany. Newcastle could reignite their pursuit of the 25-year-old England centre-back. They would not meet Crystal Palace's £65million asking price last summer, but now Guehi is into the final year of his contract, that figure could come down. The Athletic reported in this week's Transfer DealSheet that Liverpool are interested in Guehi after selling fellow defender Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen. Palace will not want to let their captain leave, but without consenting to a move now, they risk losing him for nothing as a free agent next summer. The Aston Villa goalkeeper, the holder of the Yashin Trophy and FIFA The Best Men's Goalkeeper award, has been linked with moves all summer. Martinez has been crucial in Villa's rise over his five seasons there, but his emotional farewell to fans at the end of the season suggested he could be on the move. A transfer would help Villa financially: he is under contract until 2029, which could help bring in a significant fee, and has a high salary. Advertisement The 32-year-old had been linked with Manchester United, but The Athletic reported in this week's Transfer DealSheet that a move to Old Trafford has now been effectively ruled out. Villa would only agree to a permanent deal rather than a loan, which United will not entertain due to the cost. There was interest from clubs in the Saudi Pro League earlier this year, though there are doubts over whether the idea of going there would be attractive for the player. It could finally be time for Sesko's arrival in the Premier League. The 22-year-old RB Leipzig striker's new contract was signed last year with the understanding that if an elite club — by Sesko's definition — offered a fee in the region of €80million to €90m (£69.2m-£77.9m/$92.4m-$104m), he would be allowed to leave. Those elite teams could include Manchester United and Newcastle. Both have been linked to the Slovenian before: Newcastle tried to sign him in 2022, while the Mancunians have tracked him as far back as when he was 16. Sesko is not certain to leave Leipzig. He is not against spending another year at the German club and has trained well during their pre-season camp. Even so, The Athletic reported that Sesko would be a top target for Newcastle if Isak leaves, and that Manchester United have narrowed their striker search to him and one other option… Alongside Sesko, Watkins is Manchester United's other striker target, as reported by Laurie Whitwell. Aston Villa wanted £60million from Arsenal for the England international in January; United would not spend that much either, and would look to find an agreement at £40m to £45m. The key priority for United is adding a Premier League-proven goalscorer. Watkins would be a fairly short-term solution as he turns 30 this year, but fits the experience criteria. He registered 16 Premier League goals in 2024-25 — by contrast, Rasmus Hojlund scored four for United. As with Sesko, the Old Trafford club are working to establish the potential costs of a deal. (Top photos: Getty Images)
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Full confirmed list of Liverpool summer transfers as Reds move for new striker and medicals underway
Liverpool are closing in on two more transfer deals as their busy window continues. Hugo Ekitike became the Reds' seventh signing of the summer after joining the club in a deal worth up to £79m from Eintracht Frankfurt. His arrival took Liverpool's spending so far to £295m, including add-ons. But with the Reds continuing to monitor wantaway Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, they could find themselves smashing even the £400m barrier before the transfer window closes. Despite interest in the Swede, Liverpool are yet to make a former offer for the Magpies frontman. However, they are close to adding one new striker to their ranks. READ MORE: Alisson Becker becomes third player to leave Liverpool training camp READ MORE: Florian Wirtz handed key role as Arne Slot introduces new weapon to Liverpool training The Reds are set to make Will Wright their eighth new arrival after agreeing an initial £200k deal with Salford City for the teenage striker. Liverpool have beaten Arsenal in the race to sign the forward, who will initially link up with their Under-21s side after undergoing a medical. Meanwhile, Luis Diaz is closing in on a big-money exit to Bayern Munich after being granted permission to leave the Reds' pre-season training camp in Tokyo to complete the move. The Colombian has been pictured in Munich ahead of undergoing a medical, with the forward set to complete a £65.5m transfer. Liverpool's summer business will not end there. The Reds are still tipped to strengthen their hand at centre-back, while the likes of Darwin Nunez, Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott continue to be linked with moves away. With the transfer window now open until 11pm on Monday 1 September, there will still be plenty more twists and turns for the Reds over the summer months as sporting director Richard Hughes continues to work hard behind the scenes. And with a number of fresh deals now close to completion, the ECHO takes a closer look at all the transfers already completed by Liverpool so far this summer… Liverpool transfers (In): Giorgi Mamardashvili - £29m (including add-ons) from Valencia Jeremie Frimpong - £29.5m from Bayer Leverkusen Armin Pecsi - £1.5m (including add-ons) from Puskas Akademia Florian Wirtz - £116m (including add-ons) from Bayer Leverkusen Milos Kerkez - £40m from Bournemouth Freddie Woodman - free transfer from Preston North End Hugo Ekitike - £79m (including add-ons) from Eintracht Frankfurt Will Wright - £200k (excluding add-ons) from Salford City* (Deal agreed, undergoing medical, subject to official confirmation) Liverpool transfers (Out): Trent Alexander-Arnold - £8.4m, to Real Madrid Caoimhin Kelleher - £18m (including add-ons), to Brentford Nat Phillips - £3m, to West Brom Jarell Quansah - £35m (including add-ons), to Bayer Leverkusen Luis Diaz - £65.5m (including add-ons), to Bayern Munich - (Deal agreed, undergoing medical, subject to official confirmation) Harvey Davies, loan to Crawley Town Vitezslav Jaros - loan to Ajax Owen Beck - loan to Derby County Jakub Orjzynski - End of contract, free transfer to Orebro SK Dominic Corness - End of contract, free transfer to The New Saints Reece Trueman - End of contract Lee Jonas - End of contract Louis Enahoro-Marcus - End of contract, free transfer to Leeds United Harry Evers - End of contract, free transfer to Sheffield Wednesday Jacob Poytress - End of contract Ranel Young - End of contract, free transfer to Usce
