Sunderland could be set for a major breakthrough in the transfer market

Sunderland are now closing in on the addition of Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka.

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano reports that a deal in the region of £17.5 million has now been agreed between the two clubs, with the Swiss international now set to fly into the UK for a medical and to conclude the agreement.

Sunderland made a significant breakthrough last week when Xhaka informed his club that he was keen to pursue a move to Wearside, but there remained at that stage a significant gap in valuation between the two clubs. The Bundesliga side told Xhaka that they would not stand in his way providing that the Black Cats upped their initial big significantly, which has now happened. The 32-year-old has agreed a two-year deal at the club, according to Romano.

It represents a major step forward in Sunderland's summer transfer business if they can conclude a deal, and a major coup to sign a player competing at the very top level of European football in recent seasons.

Romano wrote on X: “Granit Xhaka to Sunderland, here we go! Deal agreed between all parties involved. Understand fee will be €20m, contract until 2027. Green light from Bayer Leverkusen for the player to fly today and complete his move to Sunderland, one more ambitious signing.”

Bayer Leverkusen’s managing director for sport Simon Rolfes is said to have issued an ultimatum to the player over the weekend, insisting that he would have to stay at the club if an agreement was not reached. That appears to have progressed the transfer significantly, which now looks more likely to happen than not.

What Régis Le Bris said about Sunderland’s transfer plans after Hearts defeat

“All I can say right now is that we are trying our best to improve the team,” he said.

“We will have to see what happens. If you look at the Hearts game, then it looks as though we are far away from where we need to be. That is clear. But at the same time, it is always a work in progress. Maybe you get a confidence against a certain type of team or a certain style of play, but then later, if you don’t play with the right level of intensity, you can be surprised, and I think the game against Hearts was part of that process. So it was useful. Tough, but useful. Then, when it comes to where the squad is at, we will see. It is still unpredictable, so we always have to manage the players we have and be confident with them. But at the same time, we are not naïve and we know we have to reinforce this squad to be stronger.”

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