Xhaka's agent told Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg: “We’ve reached an agreement in principle with Sunderland. Granit wants to return to the Premier League. Sunderland excites him – he wants to take on this challenge. "We hope Leverkusen will respect his wish to leave and that the clubs will find an agreement soon.”

Granit Xhaka has informed Bayer Leverkusen that he only wants to join Sunderland, as club-to-club talks continue over a deal for the Swiss midfielder. An agreement is now in place between Xhaka and the Premier League club, with the 32-year-old prioritising a move to Regis Le Bris’ men over other suitors.