Sunderland make Granit Xhaka exit ‘decision’ amid Juventus whispers
Sunderland will not entertain offers for Granit Xhaka during the January transfer window and have no intentions of letting him leave.
That is according to former Sunderland and Man United chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that the former Arsenal midfielder is seen as a crucial part of their plans.
This comes amid interest from Juventus as well as multiple other European clubs who have been wowed by his performances at the Stadium of Light.
Xhaka has been linked with leaving Sunderland after what has been an impressive start to the season for the Black Cats since their promotion from the Championship.
The 33-year-old made the £17.3million switch from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer transfer window and has established himself among Regis Le Bris’ most important players.
Sunderland plan to reject Granit Xhaka offers
Xhaka has been praised for his Sunderland displays this season, and has quickly become a fan-favourite at the Stadium of Light, leading to concerns about his future.
However, Brown, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, insisted there is “no way” the midfielder will be allowed to leave Sunderland mid-way through the season.
“Sunderland are not going to let Xhaka leave in January,” he told Football Insider.
“To be fair to them, I’m not sure anybody was looking at Xhaka being available and thinking he could be a major difference-maker in the Premier League, but they did.
“They took a chance on it and it’s turned out perfectly, he’s done exactly what they wanted from him.
“There are a lot of young players in that squad and there was a lack of leadership, but he’s gone in and established himself as the real driving force behind their success.
“Now, having not even played half a season, any talk about letting him go is just a fantasy.
“Sunderland will not listen to offers from him, they have no intentions of letting him leave, even if the likes of Juventus or whoever else are looking at him.”
Sunderland eye busy January transfer window
Alongside their unwillingness to let Xhaka leave, Sunderland are also planning to further improve their squad when the January transfer window opens.
Football finance expert Dan Plumley told Football Insider on 11 November that Sunderland have money to spend in January although they may spend cautiously.
Xhaka was one of Sunderland’s biggest signings in the summer window, as the club spent £155million on 14 new players following their promotion.
Football Insider exclusively revealed that one player Sunderland could sign is Angers forward Sidiki Cherif when the mid-season window opens.
Meanwhile, Sunderland are racing Celtic to sign Hossam Essadak, a Morocco Under-20 midfielder who impressed at the Under-20 World Cup recently.
For more Sunderland and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.