Sunderland have agreed a fee to sign Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka, a move that will bring the Switzerland international back to the Premier League.
Softfootball understands the two clubs have now reached an agreement for the former Arsenal star to sign a three-year contract, and has now been given permission to fly to England to complete the move, a deal that will give vital experience to the Mackems’ midfield.
Sunderland will be a paying an initial fee of €15 million to sign Xhaka, but that there are also around €5 million of potential add-ons included as part of the deal.
Bayer Leverkusen were insistent that they would not let Xhaka go for a fee below their €20 million asking price, but were relatively flexible on the structure of the deal.
According to Fabrizio Romano, he shared on his X handle that a deal has now been agreed with Bundesliga club, Bayer Leverkusen and the 32-year-old has been given permission to travel to Wearside for a medical and to finalise the arrangement.
The tweet reads:
“Granit Xhaka to Sunderland, here we go! Deal agreed between all parties involved.
“Understand fee will be €20m, contract until 2027.
“Green light from Bayer Leverkusen for the player to fly today and complete his move to #SAFC, one more ambitious signing”.
Bayer Leverkusen coach Ten Hag will have to restructure his plans after Xhaka departs. The midfielder has been one of the most integral part of the team, and the club had counted on him to stay and continue his journey with the German club.
For the newly promoted clubs, bringing in a player in the caliber of Xhaka with Premier League experience will be crucial to their survival. Sunderland signing Brighton winger Simon Adingra is a start, but Granit Xhaka would be a stratospheric formidable signing.
The Switzerland international had a mixed career at Arsenal but one key theme stood out, managers kept picking him.
