Granit Xhaka transfer twist emerges amid Sunderland interest as Bayer Leverkusen decision becomes clear

Sunderland’s ambitious pursuit of Granit Xhaka appears to have hit a major stumbling block, with fresh reports in Germany suggesting the former Arsenal midfielder is now leaning towards staying at Bayer Leverkusen this summer.

According to respected Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, both Sunderland and Turkish giants Fenerbahçe made firm approaches to sign the 32-year-old, but Xhaka is reportedly reluctant to uproot his family from Germany – a factor now weighing heavily in his decision-making process.

The Black Cats had seen Xhaka as a potentially transformative signing – a veteran with elite-level experience who could add steel, leadership, and top-flight know-how to a young and developing Premier League squad. But despite Sunderland’s admiration for the Swiss international, it now seems increasingly likely he will remain at the BayArena for the 2025-26 campaign.

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Xhaka joined Bayer Leverkusen in July 2023 from Arsenal in a €25million (£21.4million) deal and played a central role in the club’s remarkable domestic double, which included their first-ever Bundesliga title and DFB-Pokal triumph. He has also scored in each of the past two league seasons and was named among the club’s leadership group soon after arriving.

Tavolieri reports that Xhaka's decision is being made with “collective” factors in mind, with family reluctance to leave Germany proving a major influence. Although Fenerbahçe offered a serious project and Sunderland presented a Premier League return with guaranteed game time, the player is said to be leaning toward staying put.

That marks a frustrating turn for Sunderland, who reportedly had an early bid for Xhaka rejected by Leverkusen earlier this month. It is believed that the Bundesliga club initially set their asking price at €12million (£10.1million) but have since raised that to €15million (£12.6million) – a response to what they viewed as underwhelming opening offers.

The most serious approach to date, according to Tavolieri, came from Saudi Pro League outfit NEOM SC. However, the Saudi club were unwilling to go beyond an €8million (£6.7million) proposal, which Leverkusen swiftly turned down. Xhaka still has three years remaining on his contract at the BayArena and remains an important figure, with Leverkusen keen to retain his experience as they prepare for another campaign of domestic and European competition.

Tavolieri’s tweet read: “Despite Sunderland & Fenerbahçe approaches, Granit Xhaka now leaning toward staying at Bayer Leverkusen as he would be making a collective choice, his family reportedly struggling with the idea of leaving Germany. So far, NEOM SC was the most concrete approach came, but Saudis were unwilling to offer more than initial €8M bid, what Bayer 04 rejected asking €15M as counter proposal while the initial asking price was €12M.”

Despite this setback, Sunderland's recruitment drive remains active. The club has already agreed a £17.5million deal for Sassuolo’s Armand Laurienté and continues to explore multiple deals. While Xhaka may yet reconsider if circumstances shift later in the window, all indications at this stage point to a stay in Germany, with Sunderland now needing to look elsewhere in their search for experience in the engine room.

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