Sunderland are facing a fight to hold on to their captain and talisman this summer

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

As first reported by The Athletic, Chelsea’s bid was just £8 million, less than half the fee the Black Cats paid to sign Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen last summer. Sunderland have been adamant since news of Chelsea’s interest in the player broke over the weekend that they are under no financial pressure to sell, and that the talismanic midfielder is not for sale.

Chelsea believe the fee is fair for a player of Xhaka’s age, but it will take a significantly improved bid to begin to test Sunderland’s stance. Xhaka is believed to open to the move to Stamford Bridge, where he would be reunited with head coach Xabi Alonso. The pair enjoyed spectacular success at Bayer Leverkusen, winning the league and cup double.

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Xhaka’s stance means talks are likely to continue between the two clubs, but at this stage there is a significant difference between the two clubs.

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