Sunderland have been left furious after Chelsea made a bid for Granit Xhaka - who is open to reuniting with former boss Xabi Alonso this summer
Granit Xhaka
Granit Xhaka(Image: (Scott Llewellyn/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images))
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Sunderland have been left furious after Chelsea made an 'insulting' £8million bid for midfielder Granit Xhaka.
The Black Cats skipper was a key player for Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen and is open to reuniting with his former boss at Stamford Bridge.
But not only have Sunderland rejected Chelsea's bid, they also believe the fee offered is insulting and maintain that Xhaka is not for sale at any price this summer.
Even if he was, for the Stamford Bridge side to offer less than half the fee the Black Cats paid to sign Xhaka from Leverkusen last summer has been treated with disdain on Wearside.
The midfielder, who still has two years left on his deal, joined Sunderland last summer and played a major role in their Europa League qualification after promotion to the Premier League.
Given that Xhaka is set to turn 34 in September, it is unlikely that Chelsea will want to pay a high fee for the midfielder.
But looking at some of the fees the Blues have paid out since the club was taken over by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in 2022, it's likely Chelsea would have to up their big significantly before Sunderland would even consider allowing their captain to join his former manager in west London.
Xhaka spent two seasons working under Alonso, a period in which the club won the Bundesliga title without losing a single league match, lifted the DFB-Pokal, and reached the Europa League final.
And the 33-year-old holds the new Chelsea boss in high regard, having previously said: "He is not a coach that is looking out for the names or status of players, in terms of who is older or younger, or who has played more games.
Granit Xhaka and Xabi Alonso at Leverkusen
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"During the week, he is thinking about who deserves to play at the weekend because they are training well. He gives every player the chance to prove their importance to the team.
“I think to manage this is so difficult because you have different types of characters and nationalities, different languages.
"But he has this experience as a player to give confidence to everyone. That’s why we performed like this as well."
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