Ten Hag blocks Xhaka’s move to Sunderland: “Not possible!”

Granit Xhaka has agreed to join Sunderland, but Bayer Leverkusen don’t want to let him go.

On Tuesday morning, Granit Xhaka’s agent, Jose Nogurra Rodriguez, revealed that the midfielder has agreed personal terms with Sunderland and is keen to leave Bayer Leverkusen for the newly-promoted Premier League side.

However, Leverkusen head coach Erik ten Hag is reluctant to sanction the move. Having already lost Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong to Liverpool and Jonathan Tah to Bayern Munich, ten Hag is determined to hold on to Xhaka.

“The agent can say whatever he wants, but this club has already let three players go,” ten Hag told Bild at Leverkusen’s training camp in Brazil.

“We won’t be letting any more leave – that’s not possible. It would damage the structure and culture of the squad.

 “It’s very clear – Granit is a leader. He signed a five-year contract and still has three years left. He’s too important for us to let go.”

Leverkusen’s managing director for sport, Simon Rolfes, echoed the coach’s stance.

“I’ve repeatedly said that Granit is an important leadership figure. The coach and I are very much aligned when it comes to this,” said Rolfes, who went on to brush off the public pressure from Xhaka’s agent:

“There are always topics that lead to discussions and conversations. So this doesn’t shock me.”

Still, Leverkusen have not directly told the player that a transfer is completely off the table.

“We’re generally in constant dialogue with our players. In the end, it’s always a three-party situation. Granit still has three years left on his contract – fundamentally, a transfer can only happen if all three parties agree,” Rolfes explained.

To make Leverkusen reconsider, Sunderland would have to significantly raise their bid, having already seen a €10 million offer rejected, according to Sky Germany. Leverkusen are said to be demanding double that amount – €20 million.

Bild also reported that Xhaka wants to speak publicly about the situation – but has been told he cannot.