Bayer Leverkusen and Sunderland unlikely to reach an agreement for Granit Xhaka | OneFootball

Bild reports it is unlikely that Bayer Leverkusen and Sunderland will reach an agreement for midfielder Granit Xhaka.

Sunderland had reached an agreement with the Swiss midfielder over a contract that would be valid for three years and see him earn a €10m per year, a three million increase on his current contract at the BayArena, but agreeing on a fee with Leverkusen is proving to be a hurdle.

The newly promoted Premier League side is said to have a strict budget of €10m for the transfer of Xhaka, and Leverkusen know they are unable to meet the asking price of €20m that they set for the 32-year-old. Several clubs from Italy and Saudi Arabia were also interested in Xhaka, but were unwilling to meet the Leverkusen asking price.

If a move to Sunderland does fall through, Xhaka remains committed to Leverkusen. With the future of club captain Lukas Hradecky now up in the air, the Swiss international could be promoted to captain if he does end up staying at the BayArena.

GGFN | Jack Meenan