Chelsea are reportedly planning to hit a Premier League rival in what could be one of the most unexpected transfers of the summer – with Xabi Alonso personally pushing for it to happen.
The Blues have so far officially brought in four players in the summer window, although all the deals were signed before the window opened. They have sold Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid and are in the process of finalising a deal worth around £47.4 million for Atalanta wing-back Marco Palestra.
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Palestra, 21, made his debut for Italy’s national team earlier this year, but did not play for Atalanta in the 2025/26 season – he was on loan at Cagliari.
Xabi Alonso has been given more control over transfers as part of his contract as the new Chelsea manager – and wants to make his mark for real.
Chelsea chasing shock transfer in the Premier League
That’s according to Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol, who claims that Chelsea are interested in signing Sunderland midfielder and captain Granit Xhaka this summer.
Sky’s North East correspondent Keith Downie says Sunderland do not want to sell Xhaka and are not inviting bids – but that Alonso has “great interest” in reuniting with the 34-year-old, whom he coached at Bayer Leverkusen.
Xhaka played a crucial role in Sunderland’s qualification for the European Cup for the first time in the club’s history. Régis Le Bris’ team will play in the Europa League next season. In fact, the Black Cats secured their place by beating Chelsea – then led by interim Calum McFarlane – 2-1 on the final day of the season.
Chelsea picked up just six points from their last six games under McFarlane, which eventually sent them out of the European Cup places entirely.
Xhaka was seen as a milestone signing for Sunderland last summer when they brought him to the north-east from Bayer Leverkusen. Periods of poor form have usually coincided with the Swiss being unavailable.
Xhaka in the World Cup – but has spoken out about the future
The 34-year-old is currently with Switzerland in the 2026 World Cup – the team progressed as group winners with two wins and six points from three games. Xhaka scored a penalty in injury time in the 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As winners of Group B, Switzerland will face one of the third-placed teams – the identity will only be decided after tonight’s matches.
Sunderland fans, however, can be reassured by Xhaka’s own statements about the future. Earlier in June, he said that he is “not thinking about a transition” away from the Stadium of Light.
To Swiss Blick, he said:
“The move from Leverkusen to Sunderland was not a sudden decision. I had many conversations with the owner, the sporting director and the manager before I signed.
“It feels a bit like home to me. The city is reminiscent of Basel, like the St. Johann district where I grew up. You can only perform at your best when you are comfortable in a place. For me, the most important thing is that my family is happy – and that’s what we are at Sunderland.
“I’m not even thinking about a transfer. I’m really happy to finally have a summer without speculation about my future. This has rarely been the case in recent years. It allows me to focus fully on the World Championships.
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