Revealed: Sunderland to Pay Higher-Than-Expected Fee for Arsenal Hero

Sunderland are interested in signing a former Arsenal midfielder, but the price could be more expensive than initially planned.

With the preseason officially started, the Lads' board continues working behind the scenes in the current summer transfer window.

In recent hours, Sunderland have been linked to players like Leicester City's Bilal El Khannouss (21), Bologna's Jhon Lucumi (27), or Bayer Leverkusen's Granit Xhaka (32).

About this last one, a recent report has thrown an interesting update.

Sunderland to pay higher-than-expected fee for Bayer Leverkusen star Granit Xhaka

Yesterday, Sacha Tavolieri revealed that Sunderland have shown interest in signing Granit Xhaka, competing strongly with Saudi Arabia's NEOM SC.

The mentioned journalist said negotiations between the Lads and Bayer Leverkusen revolved around a transfer price of about €10 million.

However, from Germany today, it's being reported that the price the Bundesliga club would look to receive would be significantly higher.

According to a BILD report, Bayer Leverkusen would be willing to let Xhaka go for about €20 million.

"The club, which has returned to the Premier League after eight years, has already contacted Leverkusen", explained the mentioned outlet after confirming Sunderland's interest in the player.

"However, an official offer is reportedly not yet made. According to BILD information, Bayer is considering a transfer fee of €20 million if a club really wants to buy Xhaka", they added.

Therefore, in case the Stadium of Light residents want to secure the services of the Swiss veteran footballer, they will need to make a significantly greater financial effort than initially planned.

Recently, Sky Sports reported that Xhaka had rejected the possibility of signing for AC Milan, arguing he had already reached an agreement with NEOM SC, so Saudi Arabia cannot be ruled out as a potential next destination for the former Arsenal player.

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