Chelsea had their £8m bid rejected for Granit Xhaka with Sunderland taking a firm stance that their key player is not for sale as Xabi Alonso plots his summer rebuild at Stamford Bridge
Granit Xhaka will stay at Sunderland after rejecting Chelsea.
Granit Xhaka will stay at Sunderland after rejecting Chelsea.(Image: Getty Images)
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Granit Xhaka has rejected Chelsea after Sunderland thrashed out talks to convince the 33-year-old to remain at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats have issued a hands-off to their Premier League rivals, re-emphasising that the Switzerland international is not for sale at any price.
The 33-year-old, who was initially drawn by the idea of heading back to the capital, is now focused on contributing to Sunderland's Europa League campaign following talks with the North East club, The Chronicle understands.
The new Chelsea head coach previously worked alongside Xhaka during a trophy-laden spell at Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, but will now need to look elsewhere for reinforcements.
Xhaka had been open to a switch to Chelsea, which would have paved the way for a reunion with Alonso and made him the former Real Madrid manager's second acquisition following Marco Palestra's arrival from Atalanta.
However, the 33-year-old has ultimately rejected a move to the Premier League, with Sunderland adopting an uncompromising position that their key man was simply not available.
Sunderland were left angered after Chelsea launched an opening bid of £8million, which was turned down and the Londoners were preparing an improved offer to bolster their midfield at Stamford Bridge. But manager Regis Le Bris can now look ahead to the coming season with Xhaka firmly in his plans as they gear up for a historic campaign in Europe.
The midfielder recently marked his 150th international appearance for Switzerland, though he was keen to avoid being drawn on the speculation surrounding his future.
He said: "That's not my job. I have my management for that. I want to concentrate fully on the World Cup."
Xhaka's return to the North East will be pushed back further after Switzerland advanced into the last-16 in North America, with Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye on the scoresheet as the Europeans comfortably dispatched Algeria.
Question marks were raised after Chelsea's initial interest in Xhaka after the Sunderland star addressed the Stadium of Light after booking their place in the Europa League.
The 33-year-old embodied a player who looked set to be the linchpin in a crucial season in the club's history. He said: "First of all, thank you to the owner, thank you to Flo and thank you to the coach.
"I want to say thank you because what they did with this team, with this football club, players, staff... everyone in the club is unbelievable. Massive thank you as well to you guys, without your support at home and away this is not possible.
"I can promise you from my side as captain of the football club, this is just the beginning and we want more.
"Enjoy this together, enjoy the moment, and we will see you soon."
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