Chelsea have entered talks with Granit Xhaka's camp over a possible move from Sunderland, and Arsenal F.C. is part of the wider frame around the midfielder’s career. Sunderland say he is not for sale. Chelsea have not agreed personal terms with the 33-year-old.
Chelsea and Granit Xhaka
Xhaka played 34 times as Sunderland finished seventh in the Premier League last season. He missed just four league games and helped Sunderland qualify for Europe, so this is not a squad player being discussed at the edge of the market.
The midfielder is under contract until 2028. He is also known to be open to a reunion with Xabi Alonso, after the pair won the Bundesliga together with Bayer Leverkusen in 2024. That link gives Chelsea a route into the deal, but it does not move the process past talks.
Sunderland and Granit Xhaka
Sunderland’s stance is blunt: they have no intention of letting him go. Sources at Sunderland say the same thing in stronger terms, and that refusal leaves Chelsea negotiating against a fixed position rather than testing a soft price.
The move would also cut against Chelsea’s recent recruitment pattern. They have not selected a player aged 30 or over during the past two seasons, so a deal for Xhaka would mark a clear change in how they are building the squad.
Whether Chelsea
For now, the practical question is whether Chelsea turn talks into a formal bid that can get past Sunderland’s resistance and then into personal terms with Xhaka. He is with Switzerland at the World Cup, while Chelsea continue to weigh a player who brought consistency, played 34 times in the league, and is now being asked about again at 33.
