Sunderland to ‘pay huge money’ amid latest Xhaka developments – Exclusive
Sunderland could sign Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka.
Regis Le Bris is looking to bolster his squad ahead of their return to the Premier League after an eight-year absence.
The squad at the Stadium of Light does not have much experience of English top-flight football, even with the new additions that they have made, including Chemsdine Talbi, Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki.
However, they could be about to add a player with a vast amount of experience at the elite level.
Sunderland to pay over the odds to seal Xhaka deal
The Black Cats have entered the race for Xhaka’s signature, in a deal which could cost around £8.6million, according to Sky Sports’ Sacha Tavolieri (15 July).
He claims that they face competition from Saudi Arabian outfit NEOM FC, who have already signed reported Mackems target Marcin Bulka.
Iconic commentator Ian Darke believes that they will have to pay over the odds to get the former Arsenal man ahead of their rivals for his signature.
Speaking exclusively to Mackem News, he said: “He would be a very, very good signing.
“But would he sign up for a likely relegation fight, having played Champions League at Leverkusen
“Sunderland will need to be very silver-tongued or offer him huge money because he would have other options; he was the key orchestrator in Leverkusen’s ‘invincible’ title win.
Xhaka would be a game-changer for Sunderland
The Swiss midfielder has 225 top-flight appearances to his name in the English game, with a further 174 in the Bundesliga.
He also boasts 32 Champions League and 63 Europa League matches in his career, so he would bring vital experience to Le Bris’ team when they need it most.
Whether he would be up for a relegation battle, as Darke questions, remains to be seen, and Kristjaan Speakman faces a tough job trying to convince him that a move to SR5 is the right outcome.
If he can, it would be a real coup for the North East outfit and could be the difference maker when it comes to survival or going back down to the Championship.
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