John Terry cited as ex-scout shares verdict on Chelsea's swoop for 'very good player'
Chelsea would be making a crucial signing for their team if they can tempt Sunderland into selling Granit Xhaka this summer.
That is the opinion of former Everton, Tottenham and Aston Villa senior scout, Bryan King, who exclusively spoke to Football Insider.
The Blues had an £8million bid rejected for the 33-year-old last week, but are expected to go back in with another offer in the coming days.
Xhaka only joined Sunderland last summer and is under contract until 2028, with transfer chiefs at the Stadium of Light insisting that they will not entertain any more offers.
But the Switzerland international is reportedly pushing for the move, which would see him reunited with former manager Xabi Alonso.
The Spaniard was appointed by Chelsea last month and brought Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen in 2023, where they won the Bundesliga unbeaten.
Bryan King: Granit Xhaka can be Chelsea's 'conductor'
Former Arsenal midfielder Xhaka returned to the Premier League last summer, with Sunderland paying £17.3m for him.
There were doubts over the midfielder's capacity to continue playing in the Premier League at the age of 33, but he proved all of those doubters wrong.
The Switzerland captain was handed the armband at the Stadium of Light immediately, and led Sunderland throughout the campaign as they completed a dream season by qualifying for the Europa League.
"He's a good player, he's a very good player," King told Football Insider, when asked about Xhaka's potential move. "Well, they [Chelsea] lost that the moment John Terry and all that lot went [leadership]."
"I thought it was a very good signing when they [Sunderland] signed him. And he's obviously been central in organising and leading the team up there. He's a very influential figure.
"And I can understand why Chelsea would like somebody like that in midfield. They haven't got a real leader. They seem to have got an orchestra, but they haven't got a conductor, have they?"
Why does Xhaka want to leave Sunderland?
Just weeks ago, Xhaka was telling Sunderland fans that this was just the beginning of his time at the Stadium of Light.
The midfielder had fallen in love with the Black Cats, and was ready to lead them forward. Or so they thought.
The 33-year-old is now keen to take the opportunity to join Chelsea, and link back up with Alonso.
"What he did have was personality. When he walked into the dressing room and started talking, everyone was completely focused," Xhaka said about his former boss last year.
"Every word he said was true. He wasn’t fake. He was authentic," he added.