Sunderland reject Chelsea’s opening Granit Xhaka bid | OneFootball

Sunderland have rejected Chelsea’s opening bid for midfielder Granit Xhaka.

According to The Athletic, the offer was £eight million, less than half the fee Sunderland paid to sign him from Bayer Leverkusen last summer. The club maintain they are under no financial pressure to sell and that the midfielder is not on the market.

Chelsea regard the figure as reasonable given Xhaka’s age, but a significantly higher proposal would be required even to test Sunderland’s stance.

Xhaka is believed to be open to a move to Stamford Bridge, where he would be reunited with head coach Xabi Alonso. The pair won a league and cup double together at Bayer Leverkusen.

His position means talks are likely to continue, though there remains a significant difference between the clubs at this stage.

Source: Sunderland Echo