Sunderland close in on former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka
The PA news agency understands the Black Cats have agreed personal terms with the 32-year-old former Arsenal skipper and are attempting to thrash out a fee with Erik ten Hag's Bundesliga club.
Switzerland international Xhaka, who began his career at Basel before heading for Borussia Monchengladbach, spent seven years with the Gunners and is well acquainted with England's top flight.
Granit Xhaka won two FA Cups during his seven-year stay at Arsenal (Adam Davy/PA)
He joined Arsenal in a £35million switch from Monchengladbach during the summer of 2016 and made 297 appearances for the club, winning two FA Cups, before returning to Germany with Leverkusen in July 2023.
Xhaka, who has been caped 137 times by his country, won the league title at the end of his first season and made 49 appearances in all competitions, 10 of them in the Champions League, during the last campaign.
A combative player, Xhaka was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy in November 2019 after a heated exchange with home fans at the Emirates Stadium.
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