Granit Xhaka breaks silence on Chelsea move as Sunderland exit looms | OneFootball

Granit Xhaka Chelsea Transfer Talk Meets Sunderland Resolve During World Cup

Granit Xhaka has said very little, which is usually the sensible move when a transfer story starts gathering pace in the middle of a major tournament. According to talkSPORT, Chelsea have tested Sunderland’s resolve with an £8million opening bid for the Switzerland captain, only to be knocked back immediately.

The key point here is simple. Sunderland do not want to sell, and they are under no obvious pressure to do so. That matters more than Chelsea’s interest, more than the player’s history with Xabi Alonso, and more than the noise that always follows a proven midfielder in a market short on certainty.

Granit Xhaka keeps World Cup focus

Xhaka did exactly what an experienced international captain should do when asked about a possible move. He shut it down. “That’s not my job [to talk about a potential move to Chelsea].” He followed that with, “I have my management for that. I want to concentrate fully on the World Cup.”

That is not evasive, it is professional. Switzerland had a job to do against Algeria, and they did it cleanly in a 2-0 win. Xhaka played all 90 minutes, Breel Embolo and Nottingham Forest striker Dan Ndoye scored, and the Swiss moved into the next round with their first knockout win at the tournament since 1938. If there is a time to indulge transfer gossip, this is not it.

Chelsea, for their part, clearly see a familiar solution. Alonso knows Xhaka well from Bayer Leverkusen, where the midfielder was central to an unbeaten Bundesliga title success in 2024. Coaches trust players who understand their demands. That part makes sense. The valuation is where it starts getting awkward.

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Sunderland stance leaves Chelsea with a problem

Calling an £8million bid “unacceptable” tells you Sunderland’s position in plain language. They are not flirting with a sale, they are rejecting the premise of one. Xhaka arrived last summer and gave them exactly what promoted sides usually lack, authority, control and calm. He played 34 league games, became a leader quickly and helped drive Sunderland to a seventh-placed finish and European football.

For a club trying to establish itself back in the top flight, that profile is not easily replaced. A 33-year-old midfielder with experience, tactical discipline and personality may not carry the resale glamour of a younger signing, but that is beside the point. Sunderland are trying to build something competitive, not win the transfer fashion contest.

There is also the Alonso factor. Xhaka once said of the Chelsea boss, “It’s a dream for me to play under Xabi Alonso. He was a world-class player in the same position as me – I played against him myself.” He added, “He gives me things that I can take. We have a great team, a great coach and a great mentality. We work hard daily and you can see the results on the ground.” Those words will naturally fuel the speculation, because the relationship is real and the respect is obvious.

Chelsea midfield plans may yet change

Even so, Chelsea do not appear ready to pay whatever it takes. That is a recurring theme at clubs that want experience, but only at a price they can justify internally. talkSPORT reports that Alex Scott and Adam Wharton are also admired, which suggests Chelsea are weighing multiple midfield routes rather than going all-in on one target.

Scott would bring youth and upside, Wharton offers a different profile, and both would likely command serious competition. Arsenal and Manchester United are reportedly keen on Scott, and that sort of market tends to inflate quickly. Compared to that, Xhaka offers certainty. He knows the league, he knows Alonso, and he would need little adaptation time.

There is another moving part in Chelsea’s midfield picture, Enzo Fernandez. The report suggests a new signing could open the door to his desired move to Real Madrid, although that now looks unlikely after the Spanish club said they have “no intention” of signing the Argentine. That may force Chelsea to rethink the shape and urgency of their recruitment.

For now, the facts are straightforward. Chelsea are interested. Sunderland are resisting. Xhaka is saying the right things and focusing on Switzerland’s World Cup campaign. The rest is negotiation, leverage and patience.

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From a Sunderland perspective, this is where the frustration kicks in. Every time the club finds a player who raises standards, someone from the so-called elite comes sniffing around and expects to get him on the cheap. £8million for Granit Xhaka, after the season he just had, after helping drag Sunderland into Europe, is not serious money. It is the sort of bid designed to test whether a club knows its own value.

Xhaka was brought in to give this side direction, edge and maturity. He did all of that. He gave Sunderland presence in midfield and leadership in the dressing room. Those things are expensive to replace, and sometimes impossible to replace properly. If Chelsea want a reunion with Alonso, fine. Pay properly, or move on.

The other issue is message. If Sunderland really want to stop being treated like a stepping stone, they have to hold firm in situations like this. Supporters have seen enough over the years, good players leaving, momentum being broken, rebuilds starting again from scratch. European football should be the beginning of ambition, not the cue for bigger clubs to start picking off the best bits.

Xhaka has handled it correctly, and fair play to him for saying, “I want to concentrate fully on the World Cup.” Sunderland now need to handle it correctly too. Shut the door unless the fee is huge. Anything less sends the wrong signal to everyone.