Chelsea's move for Granit Xhaka is being sold as an Xabi Alonso reunion, not a routine midfield raid. Florian Plettenberg said Chelsea and Xhaka had already reached a full verbal agreement and that personal terms were fully agreed. Fabrizio Romano went further, saying Xhaka wants to re-join Xabi Alonso and is prepared to accept any contract condition to get the move done.

Chelsea's reunion angle

That is the centre of this story. Both journalists point to Alonso as the key pull, and that is what makes the Chelsea angle feel different from a normal late-summer chase. This is not just about adding experience in midfield, it is about a manager who clearly wants a player he trusts.

Xhaka's own comments on Alonso back that up on the football side. He said Alonso is not focused on age or status, but on who deserves to play at the weekend because they are training well. He also said Alonso gives every player the chance to prove their importance to the team.

The fit is obvious enough. Xhaka was a regular for Sunderland across 2025/26, making 34 Premier League appearances, starting 32 and coming off the bench only twice. He also finished with 6 assists and 1 league goal, which is tidy output for a midfielder who was trusted from the start in almost every league game.

Sunderland's stance on any sale

The problem for Chelsea is that Sunderland are not behaving like a selling club. Sky Sports said there had been no club-to-club contact and that Sunderland would not welcome any offers. That sits awkwardly with the version coming from TeamTalk, where the reunion talk is already being framed as a deal on.

Sunderland's position makes sense given what Xhaka gave them last season. They finished seventh in the Premier League with 54 points, and he was one of the most settled figures in the side throughout the campaign. A long-term contract until 2028 and a £13m arrival last summer only sharpen why they would resist a sale now.

So the real picture is split. Chelsea may have the player side moving in their direction, but Sunderland have not opened the door yet. At this stage, the reunion push is doing the talking, while the club-to-club part is still stuck at square one.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 7 outlets. How we work →