Star Wants To See Sunderland Move Done Quickly | OneFootball

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Granit Xhaka has asked Bayer Leverkusen to find an agreement for him to go to Sunderland quickly, as he has his heart set on the Black Cats, according to The Athletic.

The Swiss midfielder has been targeted by several sides this summer and Saudi Pro League new boys Neom were prepared to hand him a lucrative wage packet to head to the Middle East.

Fenerbahce were encouraged to hope they could win the race following positive discussions during which it was suggested the former Arsenal man was ‘very enthusiastic’ about joining.

Jose Mourinho’s side are now set for disappointment though as Xhaka wants Sunderland as his priority move.

He has asked Leverkusen to come to an agreement with Sunderland quickly in order that he can make the move to the Stadium of Light.

Xhaka already has an agreement on terms with Sunderland and has decided that it is Regis Le Bris’ side he wants to play for next season.

That should mean that if Sunderland and Leverkusen can agree a fee then the transfer can happen quickly.

Sunderland will be landing a midfielder who knows his way around the Premier League due to a lengthy spell at Arsenal.

Xhaka won the Bundesliga title during his first campaign at Leverkusen, while the club then finished as runners-up behind Bayern Munich last term.

Xabi Alonso has since left to take over at Real Madrid and Xhaka will join Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong in also exiting the BayArena, for the Premier League.

Sunderland have focused on younger players this summer so far, but are wary of the need for experience and identified Xhaka as the right fit for that role.

Now it remains to be seen just how quickly Sunderland can agree a fee with Leverkusen for the 32-year-old.