Sunderland close in on move for ex-Arsenal star – latest transfer reports | OneFootball

Former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has informed Bayer Leverkusen that he wants to move to Sunderland this transfer window.

According to David Ornstein, an agreement is now in place between Xhaka and the Premier League newcomers but negotiations will continue between the two clubs, with Leverkusen being asked by the Swiss international to close the deal as soon as possible.

This would mark a return to the English top flight for the 32-year-old after two seasons away in Germany, where he won the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal under Xabi Alonso.

Leverkusen are also one of the clubs monitoring Raheem Sterling’s situation at Chelsea, with BBC Sport’s Sami Mokbel reporting that the forward is attracting interest from a host of European sides.

The 30-year-old, who spent last season only loan at Arsenal, is not in Enzo Maresca’s plans and can leave the club.

The Telegraph say that Aston Villa, Tottenham and Chelsea are looking at Alejandro Garnacho, with the Argentine left out of Manchester United’s pre-season tour in the United States. It is believed that the 21-year-old could be made available for around £40m as the club try to fund other transfers.

Elsewhere, United are set to compete with Manchester City for the signing of Denmark international Morten Hjulmand from Sporting, according to A Bola. Italian side Juventus reportedly tried to sign the 26-year-old for around €40m, but the Portuguese side rejected that offer and will only sell the midfielder for his €80m release clause.

Calciomercato report that a host of Italian clubs including Napoli, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Roma and Juventus are interested in signing Federico Chiesa from Liverpool.

The 27-year-old managed only 14 appearances for the Reds last season after joining from Juventus, and has been left out of the squad for the team’s tour of Asia this preseason.

Finally, Nottingham Forest are working on a deal to sign Bologna winger Dan Ndoye. The Guardian say Forest regard the Switzerland international as a replacement for Anthony Elanga, who left the club to join Newcastle United. The 24-year-old is reportedly keen to test himself in the Premier League, despite interest from Serie A Champions Napoli.