Burnley's Premier League relegation rivals close in on eye-catching capture of former Arsenal man
Sunderland have reportedly agreed a deal to bring in former Arsenal man Granit Xhaka.
The 32-year-old is set to join the Black Cats in a £17m move according to Sky Sports, costing Regis Le Bris’ side an initial £13m with up to £4m in add-on
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, meanwhile, has given the swoop the green light.
“Granit Xhaka to Sunderland, here we go! Deal agreed between all parties involved,” he wrote on X.
“Understand fee will be €20m, contract until 2027.
“Green light from Bayer Leverkusen for the player to fly today and complete his move to #SAFC, one more ambitious signing.”
Given Xhaka’s experience and know-how, this would be quite the eye-catching capture for Sunderland, who won promotion alongside Burnley and Leeds United from the Championship last season.
The Black Cats, who edged past Sheffield United in the play-off final back in May, have invested heavily so far this summer.
They’ve already forked out around £30m to bring in Habib Diarra from Strasbourg, while big fees have also been spent on the likes of Simon Adingra (£21m), Chemsdine Talbi (£19.5m), Enzo Le Fée (£19.3m) and Noah Sadiki (£17.5m).
They received a sizeable chunk of money early into the window when Jobe Bellingham completed a move to Borussia Dortmund, while Tom Watson – the scorer of their play-off final winning goal – joined Brighton & Hove Albion.
Last season’s Championship title winners Leeds have also got the cheque book out this summer, bringing in nine new players so far.
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