Sunderland is poised to acquire midfielder Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial fee of £13 million, with the possibility of an additional £4 million in add-ons.
The 32-year-old Swiss international is expected to travel to Sunderland to undergo a medical examination and finalize a three-year contract with the club at the Stadium of Light.
Xhaka will be returning to the Premier League, having previously spent seven years at Arsenal. During his tenure with the Gunners, he made 297 appearances across all competitions, won two FA Cup trophies, and briefly served as the club's captain before departing for Leverkusen in 2023.
In Germany, Xhaka enjoyed a successful two-year stint, contributing to Bayer Leverkusen's historic Bundesliga title win in 2024.
This acquisition brings Sunderland's summer expenditure to £114 million, although the club has offset some of the spending by generating approximately £37 million from the sales of Jude Bellingham and Tommy Watson.
Among Premier League clubs, only the traditional top six have outspent Sunderland, who earned promotion from the Championship after a play-off final victory against Sheffield United in May.
Xhaka is set to be Sunderland's eighth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Enzo Le Fee, Habib Diarra, Noah Sadiki, Reinildo Mandava, Chemsdine Talbi, and Simon Adingra.
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