Alan Shearer has called Chelsea's £8m bid for Granit Xhaka embarrassing, and Sunderland have already rejected the offer. Xhaka's own message is calmer. He says he is not even thinking about a transfer and wants to focus on the World Cup.

Shearer’s valuation argument

Shearer's complaint is simple enough. Sunderland paid £17.5m for Xhaka last summer, so Chelsea's opening bid came in at less than half of that figure. He also pointed to Xhaka's level last season, saying he was one of the best players in the Premier League.

That framing matters because it turns the story into a question of respect as much as recruitment. Chelsea can want Xhaka, and Giorgio Contini even said he would sign him if he were Xabi Alonso, but an £8m opening offer is a hard sell when Sunderland have every reason to resist.

The valuation angle is helped by the season Sunderland had. They finished seventh and Chelsea finished 10th, and Sunderland's 7.9 rating in one recent league outing is a reminder that Xhaka's form has not suddenly dropped off.

Xhaka is not feeding the noise

Xhaka has done the opposite of stoking it. Speaking to Chronicle Live, he said: "For me, the most important thing is that my family is happy. And we are in Sunderland. I'm not even thinking about a transfer. I'm really happy to finally have a summer without any speculation about my future. That's rarely been the case in recent years. This allows me to fully focus on the World Cup."

That is the clearest reason the transfer talk has not shifted the mood around him. The captain is under contract at Sunderland for two more years, he has been public about being settled, and the club are not under pressure to sell cheaply after rejecting Chelsea's first approach.

There is also the timing. Contini said Switzerland should be talking about Algeria, not Chelsea, and Xhaka's own comments back that up. The noise is there, but so far the player is treating it like background noise rather than a move in motion.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →