BREAKING: Sunderland's Granit Xhaka Turns Down Move to Chelsea

Last week, it was confirmed that Chelsea had made a bid of around £8.5m for Sunderland and Switzerland national team midfielder Granit Xhaka, with the bid being immediately rejected by the Wearsiders.

Although there was skepticism within the fanbase at the idea of signing a player who turns 34 in September, there was also an acknowledgment to back Xabi Alonso, who had worked with Xhaka at Bayer Leverkusen, and it does not take a genius to know he would be the driving force behind the attempts to sign him.

Plus, there has been a notably, and often discussed at length lack of experience in the squad in recent years, particularly after the departure of Thiago Silva back in the summer of 2024 - something the Swiss international would have helped massively with.

However, any thoughts on the potential signing either way are now completely academic. Indeed so, as it is now being widely reported that Xhaka himself has decided to stay at the Stadium of Light.

North East based journalist Keith Downie has said that he has turned down a move to Chelsea to stay at Sunderland, "reaffirming his desire" to remain with the club and lead them into Europe (they are in the Europa League next season). 

In his report, Downie says Sunderland insisted that Xhaka was never for sale, despite Chelsea making a move and his relationship with Alonso. Finally, he says that the 33-year old's relationship with the fanbase up there "played a big part" in his decision. 

Now, maybe this seems like a cynical point of view, but it does feel like there is some saving face going on. It had been reported this week that Chelsea were going to attempt another bid for the player, but only slightly more than the initial bid which was effectively laughed off. 

So, it feels like Xhaka himself then became aware that a deal was not going to happen, and is attempting to try and repair his relationship with the Sunderland fans, that had clearly become seriously damaged amidst the numerous reports that he had agreed personal terms with Chelsea. 

However, if it is because he genuinely sees the Regis le Bris' side as a better project, then wow, that is a damning indictment on the current "project" in SW6 under the Clearlake project, which saw the club finish below newly promoted Sunderland last season. The fact they can offer European football and Chelsea can't says it all.