Chelsea Bid For Sunderland Star Granit Xhaka Amid Xabi Alonso Request - report

Chelsea have reportedly made a first formal offer for Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka, said to be in the region of £25.8m (30 million euros).

According to journalist Luca Cerchione on X, Chelsea have plotted an ambitious transfer swoop for the Black Cats and Switzerland captain, at the request of newly-appointed Blues boss Xabi Alonso.

Xhaka was Alonso’s captain at Bayer Leverkusen during their successful time together at the German giants, in which they won the Bundesliga title while going undefeated in the 2023/24 campaign. 

Following Alonso’s move to Real Madrid last summer, Xhaka joined newly-promoted Sunderland as the marquee signing for the Black Cats project, and his move has proven to be an inspired one for all parties. 

The veteran midfielder has proven his class in English football yet again, captaining Sunderland to a seventh-placed finish and subsequent qualification for the Europa League, unsurprisingly seeing Xhaka crowned the Black Cats’ Player of the Season for his transformational impact at the Stadium of Light.

Although the move would likely be financially appealing for Xhaka as a result of the Blues’ billionaire Blue Co ownership, it would be extremely unlikely to see the Swiss stalwart depart Sunderland this summer. 

From a Chelsea perspective, the Blues’ immature and youthful side would benefit from the experience and battle scars that Xhaka would bring, as seen on the final day of the season, in which Sunderland beat Chelsea 2-1 to secure Europa League qualification, and saw the 33-year-old boss the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo with ease. 

Additionally, despite the reported request of newly-appointed Stamford Bridge boss Alonso, the signing of Xhaka would be a departure from Chelsea’s recruitment model, given that their current squad has no player over the age of 30.

Aside from Chelsea, the Sunderland hierarchy would never entertain the prospect of selling Xhaka this summer ahead of next season, especially to a Premier League and European football rival in Chelsea. 

Last summer, Xhaka penned a three-year contract at the Stadium of Light, which placed him as the highest earner in the Black Cats’ squad on a reported £110k-per-week salary, and he went on to notch seven combined direct goal contributions in the Premier League last term.

Despite the reports, Xhaka has silenced any Sunderland exit doubts already this summer, explaining earlier this month that he is "not giving a transfer a second thought."

By all accounts and the player himself, Xhaka and his young family are settled in the North East, and it is clear that the city of Sunderland, the club and its supporters have gotten under the Swiss captain’s skin. 

Ironically, after beating Chelsea on the final day of the campaign to secure seventh, Sunderland captain Xhaka gave a rousing speech to the 48,000 Black Cats fans who stayed behind for the Stadium of Light lap of appreciation. 

“Massive thank you to you guys as well.”, Xhaka said to the Sunderland fans. 

“Without your support, home and away, this is not possible. 

Clearly, those do not sound like the words of a player who wants to move on from the remarkable Sunderland project, and despite the Blues’ interest, the Black Cats faithful have nothing to fear over Xhaka’s immediate footballing future.

However, you can never say never in football, with various reports from the likes of transfer guru Fabrizio Romano emerging in the aftermath that Xhaka has "wants to re-join Alonso" and that the 'deal is on'.

Following that, Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie outlined that "there is no club to club contact" yet between the Black Cats and the Blues, with Sunderland under no pressure to part ways with their standout star as they consider Xhaka "not for sale" this summer.