Granit Xhaka breaks silence on Chelsea transfer interest: 'A big privilege' | OneFootball

Blues saw £8m bid for veteran midfielder rejected during summer transfer window

Granit Xhaka has revealed he turned down a summer move to Chelsea as he felt he had unfinished business at Sunderland, despite acknowledging the Blues’ bid was a ‘big privilege’.

Chelsea came into the summer transfer window with the intent to add experience to their squad, and earmarked the 33-year-old Xhaka as an ideal target, due to both his lengthy top-flight career and past work with Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen.

Chelsea saw a bid for the player rejected by Sunderland, who considered the £8m offer disrespectful, and ultimately abandoned their pursuit after being told Xhaka was untouchable. The Blues moved on to new targets and eventually signed Jordan Henderson, 36, and Danny Welbeck, 35.

But Xhaka has now broken his silence on Chelsea’s pursuit, saying he considered their interest a compliment but that there was still a job to be done at the Stadium of Light.

“When I signed the contract here, there was a plan behind the scenes, and the plan was to stick to this project, to believe in this project, and to work for this project,” he said, speaking on the Sports Agents Podcast.

Granit Xhaka says he remains fully committed to Sunderland’s project

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“And I always say to myself and to the people around, I didn't come here for one season. It's a big privilege that a football club like Chelsea want a player, nearly 34 years old.

“There was something behind, yes, for sure, but my commitment to the club was straight for it.”

Xhaka signed for Sunderland in summer 2025 and captained them to Europa League qualification in his first season, making 34 Premier League appearances in doing so.

With two years left to run on his deal, Xhaka reaffirmed his commitment to Sunderland’s European campaign, saying he has plenty still to achieve with the club.

“When I spoke with the owner of Sunderland, I told him from the beginning, I don't have the feeling that this project is done yet, and this is my motivation.

Sunderland open their Europa League campaign at home to AZ Alkmaar next Wednesday, with Lech Poznan, Dinamo Zagreb and Anderlecht also among their league phase opponents.

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