Newly-promoted Sunderland have agreed a deal to sign veteran midfielder Granit Xhaka from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen for an initial fee of £13 million, with a further £4 million in potential add-ons.
The 32-year-old Switzerland international is expected to travel to England to undergo a medical and finalise a three-year contract, marking a significant statement of intent from the club following its return to the Premier League.
The move signals a return to English football for Xhaka, who spent seven seasons with Arsenal between 2016 and 2023. During his time in North London, he made 297 appearances, won two FA Cups, and served for a period as club captain.
Xhaka joins Sunderland after a highly successful two-year spell in Germany, where he was an instrumental part of the Bayer Leverkusen side that secured the club’s first-ever Bundesliga title in the historic 2023-24 season.
This transfer is the latest move in an aggressive summer recruitment strategy for Sunderland, who gained promotion from the Championship via a play-off final victory over Sheffield United in May. The deal for Xhaka takes the club’s total summer spending to approximately £114 million, a figure surpassed only by the Premier League’s established top-six clubs.
Xhaka becomes the eighth senior player to arrive at the Stadium of Light during this transfer window, joining a list of new recruits that includes Enzo Le Fée, Habib Diarra, Noah Sadiki, Reinildo Mandava, Chemsdine Talbi, and Simon Adingra. The club has offset some of its expenditure through the sales of academy products Jobe Bellingham and Tommy Watson, which reportedly generated around £37 million.
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