Chelsea transfer news: Chelsea set for second Xhaka bid as Sunderland hold all the cards
Chelsea transfer news: Sunderland aren’t playing ball. Chelsea’s opening £8 million gambit for Granit Xhaka was laughed out of the Stadium of Light last week. Flatly rejected. Now, word from Mail Sport is that Todd Boehly is readying a second packet. Whether it actually makes the Black Cats blink is another matter entirely. It’s wild, really. Chelsea spending July 2026 chasing a 33-year-old midfielder isn’t what anyone had on their transfer bingo card, but this is turning into the window’s proper soap opera.
Xabi Alonso is the man pulling the strings here. He officially took the Stamford Bridge hot seat on 1 July, and getting his old Leverkusen general down south is top of his wish list. They built something special in Germany. That Invincible Bundesliga run in 2023-24 had Xhaka acting as Alonso’s eyes and ears on the pitch, orchestrating everything from deep. The Swiss midfielder has already told Sunderland he wants out. His family wants to move back to London, and personal terms are already boxed off.
The valuation gap that could break the deal
CaughtOffside sources reckon the improved bid will hover around £10 million. Just a £2 million bump. Insulting, frankly, for a player whose market value sits closer to €17.1 million. Fabrizio Romano expects a “new attack” from Chelsea soon, and Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg says boardroom talks are still active.
But look at the numbers. Xhaka played 2,902 minutes across 34 Premier League games last term, chipping in with a goal and six assists. A 7.24 FotMob average doesn’t lie. He topped the club’s charts for clearances and aerial duels won, all while running the show with that cultured left foot. He essentially dragged Sunderland into continental football.
Read: Marc Cucurella’s replacement – Chelsea’s inititial €9M plus add-ons bid
Sunderland have their skipper under lock and key until 2028. They have zero pressure to sell their midfield metronome on the cheap right before a historic Europa League campaign. Boehly’s Chelsea usually love throwing cash around, but they’ll need to cough up well over £15 million to even get Sunderland to talk. Right now, it’s a proper standoff.
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