Granit Xhaka ‘to consider’ Besiktas move amid Juventus talk, Sunderland stance and key role | OneFootball

Granit Xhaka has been linked with a summer move to Besiktas, with Fotomac reporting the Sunderland captain is among midfield options under review.

The Istanbul club are assessing midfield targets amid uncertainty over Wilfred Ndidi’s future, and Nottingham Forest’s Ibrahim Sangare is also named. The report adds that the 33-year-old would be open to the Super Lig and has sought information on Istanbul life.

This merits caution, Turkish transfer reporting can be ambitious and player willingness is often overstated. The league’s financial pull is clear, but Xhaka’s circumstances at Sunderland are different.

When Juventus were linked in January, Sunderland flatly dismissed the speculation. Xhaka only arrived last summer on a long-term deal after Kyril Louis-Dreyfus personally convinced him, and there has been talk inside the club of a possible coaching role further down the line.

He has become integral for Régis Le Bris, on the pitch and in the dressing room, so Sunderland would have little appetite to lose him after one season. Interest is one thing, a transfer that makes sense for Sunderland is another, and at present this feels unlikely to progress.

Xhaka has been near ever-present in 2025-26, playing 32 Premier League matches with one goal and six assists. His discipline has stayed controlled, with seven yellow cards and no reds in the league.

Source: Sunderland Echo