Sunderland have officially signed Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen on a three-year deal worth a reported £17.3 million, Afrosport reports.
The 32-year-old returns to the Premier League having played 297 times for Arsenal, scoring 23 goals, providing 29 assists and winning two FA Cup titles.
He left the Gunners in 2023 to join Leverkusen and helped them to an unbeaten campaign in 2023-24 as the club won their first-ever Bundesliga title.
“I’m very proud to be here. When I spoke to the Club, I was excited and I felt the energy, and the mentality that all the people and players have,” Xhaka told the Sunderland website.
“It’s exactly what I wanted, and I have a very good feeling. We are back to where this Club needs to be, and we want to stay here to write our own history.
“I feel that I’m ready to help the team with my experience, but with quality as well. We need to find ourselves on the pitch, but I don’t think this will be a big problem. It’s been a long time to wait, but I’m here now and I’m looking forward to it.”
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— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) July 30, 2025
He is the seventh summer of newly-promoted Sunderland following the arrivals of Enzo Le Fee, Habib Diarra, Noah Sadiki, Reinildo Mandava, Chemsdine Talbi and Simon Adingra.
Xhaka’s arrival takes the Black Cats further above the £100 million mark, making them the biggest Premier League spenders this summer after the top six (Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United).
