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Beth Lindop
Multiple Authors
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris has stated that captain Granit Xhaka will remain at the club this summer, confirming that discussions about a potential transfer to Chelsea are “closed.”
Xhaka, who joined Sunderland for £17.2 million ($22.9 million) from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, was instrumental in the team’s qualification for the Europa League.
Reports last month indicated that Chelsea was considering a move for the 33-year-old player, who had previously worked with the club’s new manager Xabi Alonso at Leverkusen.
However, Sunderland has expressed a strong desire to keep their captain, and Le Bris made this clear after his team’s 4-2 preseason loss to Liverpool in Nashville.
“No, this topic is closed,” Le Bris asserted on Saturday. “He has made his intentions regarding the future quite clear. He loves Sunderland and wants to remain here to contribute to the club’s future. He is a strong captain and a great leader.”
After earning promotion to the Premier League through the playoffs last season, Sunderland surprised many by finishing seventh in the league.
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On the club’s transfer approach this summer, Le Bris remarked: “It will be a quiet window. We are working diligently behind the scenes, and it’s imperative to keep things low-key to avoid chaos. This time around will differ significantly from last season, where we signed 14 new players. That won’t be necessary this year. We’ll see how things unfold.”