Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka looks set to remain at the club this summer.

Ex-Sunderland defender Phil Bardsley has claimed that the club have done a “marvellous” job to retain Granit Xhaka’s services this summer following transfer interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea.

The Swiss veteran was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge - and a reunion with former Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso - at one point, but now appears to be intent on staying put in the North East ahead of the upcoming campaign. And to that end, Bardsley is of the opinion that keeping hold of Xhaka could be a highly significant development for the Black Cats, both on the pitch and behind the scenes at the Stadium of Light. Speaking exclusively to The Echo, courtesy of BetGoodwin, he said: “It’s huge. Obviously, we saw what he can produce last year. I mean, his performances were outstanding. We probably thought we’d seen the best of him at Leverkusen and Arsenal, but honestly, the performances... He was probably in my top three players of the season last year - that’s how highly I regarded him, and what he did.

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“But I think it’s important for the club to retain him. It’s no secret the Chelsea manager really likes him - obviously he had him at Leverkusen. So it’s marvellous for the club to retain him. Hopefully they can. Listen, there’s still time in the window yet and you never know what can happen, but it’d be massive if we keep him because he’s a huge figure - not just in the team, but in the club and what he brings, the standards and the values.”

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