Sunderland have rejected Chelsea’s shock £8million bid for captain Granit Xhaka and insist he isn’t for sale at any price.
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 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 worked with new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso while at Bayer Leverkusen
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, and they felt their proposal to Sunderland was fair.
He is under contract at the Stadium of Light until 2028 but Daily Mail Sport previously reported that the 33-year-old is keen on linking up again with Alonso and being part of a new project.
However, news of the interest led to a furious reaction from Sunderland supporters, given it is just five weeks since Xhaka made an emotional end of season speech at the Stadium of Light.
Addressing fans following an inspirational campaign, he said: ‘These people, what they did with this team, these players, staff, everyone including the club is f***ing incredible.
‘Massive thank you as well to you guys, without your support home and away this isn’t possible.
‘I can promise you from my side like a captain of this football club, this is just the beginning and we will want more. Enjoy the moment and we’ll see you soon.’
During their time together in Germany, Alonso and Xhaka helped Leverkusen win the Bundesliga title for the first time in their history.
The midfielder is currently at the World Cup with Switzerland and he has played every minute of their campaign so far, scoring once in a 4-1 win over Bosnia in their second group stage game.
They face Algeria in the round of 32 on Friday morning (BST) in Vancouver.
