Former Arsenal captain, Granit Xhaka is set to make a sensational return to the Premier League with Sunderland.
Softfootball understands that the Switzerland international is open to leaving Bayer Leverkusen this summer and Sunderland sees him as a perfect leader in midfield for their team to avoid going back to the English Championship after gaining promotion at the end of last season.
Florian Plettenberg, a German football expert, reporting via his official X handle informed that the deal is almost good as done.
He explains:
“Granit #Xhaka to Sunderland is now considered a done deal, as expected.
“An agreement between Leverkusen and Sunderland has been reached for a fee of €20 million including bonuses, after @FabrizioRomano and confirmed.
“A verbal agreement until 2028 + 1 was already in place, as previously reported. If Xhaka doesn’t change his mind now, the deal will go through.”
Xhaka’s time with Leverkusen has been marked by success playing under Xabi Alonso. He helped the team win their first-ever Bundesliga title in an unbeaten season.
The 32-year-old was a key figure in midfield, providing stability, leadership and has a high pass completion rate in the Bundesliga.
Xhaka left Arsenal for Leverkusen in the summer of 2023 and has never looked back ever since. He made 33 appearances in his first season, scoring three goals, and maintained a high pass completion rate, often exceeding 90%.
Xhaka’s work rate was exceptional for Leverkusen. It was one of the reasons they won the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal unbeaten but unfortunately lost the Europa League final to Atalanta courtesy of an Ademola Lookman hat-trick.
The former Arsenal captain is known for scoring some outrageous goals throughout his career.
Here are some of his goals shared on Bayer 04 Leverkusen X handle:
Granit Xhaka only scores Bangers. Literally. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/zMUpHmgBNe
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) January 17, 2025
Xhaka’s potential return promises to bring experience and steel to Sunderland’s midfield as they prepare for a challenging Premier League campaign.
Sunderland’s first game in the 2025/26 Premier League season is against West Ham United on August 16.
