Sunderland are facing a fight to retain the services of their talismanic captain and midfielder this summer
Granit Xhaka says he is concentrating fully on the World Cup amid Chelsea’s bid to sign him.
Chelsea have had an initial bid of £8 million rejected by Sunderland, who have made clear that they do not want to lose their captain and who feel that opening offer was well short of a fair valuation given Xhaka’s quality and importance on and off the pitch.
Xhaka has not spoken about the potential move, but is understood to be keen on the prospect of reuniting with Xabi Alonso at Stamford Bridge.
The 33-year-old was asked by Swiss newspaper Blick about the story following the 2-0 win over Algeria in the early hour of Friday morning: “That's not my job. I have my management for that. I want to concentrate fully on the World Cup.”
Switzerland have now secured their place in the last 16 of the World Cup, where they will face either Colombia or Ghana for a place in the last 16. The win over Algeria had added significance for Xhaka, who was making his 150th appearance for this country.
Xhaka said he was proud of the achievement and his team for their performance - it was the first time they have won a knockout game at the World Cup since 1938.
“The team cheered me on beforehand, and I told them they would make the day special if we advanced. 150 games for the country where I was born and raised. Being able to wear the red jersey makes you proud. It's all the more wonderful that we played well and progressed. At the beginning, we were almost over-motivated; we needed that goal to help us. At halftime, we had to address things that weren't good – too many long balls, we couldn't hold onto the ball, and we weren't playing the game that makes us strong. The second half was then more controlled. We're all old enough to be honest with each other. Even though we were leading 1-0, our game wasn't perfect. We addressed it, changed things, and consequently played a good second half."
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