Sunderland left furious by Chelsea transfer tactics as opening bid for ‘unsettled’ Xhaka rejected

Sunderland have rejected Chelsea’s opening offer for Granit Xhaka out of hand and have been left deeply frustrated by the manner of the Blues’ pursuit of their captain, TEAMtalk understands.

The Black Cats have made it abundantly clear that Xhaka is not for sale and sources have told TEAMtalk they are “far from happy” with Chelsea’s conduct after the west London club moved for the experienced Switzerland international.

As TEAMtalk revealed earlier this week, Chelsea’s interest has been driven by new head coach Xabi Alonso, who is eager to inject more proven leadership into his squad following his arrival at Stamford Bridge. Alonso sees Xhaka as the ideal addition.

The pair enjoyed enormous success together at Bayer Leverkusen, where Xhaka became one of Alonso’s most trusted lieutenants during the club’s historic unbeaten Bundesliga-winning campaign. The Chelsea boss believes the 33-year-old still has plenty to offer at the highest level and would provide invaluable experience to his youthful squad.

Sunderland first became aware of Chelsea’s interest through third parties during the past week rather than through direct club-to-club contact, something which has only added to their frustration.

TEAMtalk understands the Blues initially wanted to establish whether Xhaka would be interested in a move before deciding whether to make an official approach. Those conversations proved encouraging.

Sources indicate Xhaka reacted positively to Chelsea’s interest and is attracted by the possibility of returning to London while also reuniting with Alonso, the manager under whom he arguably played the best football of his career.

Want more breaking news and transfer lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.

Sunderland immediately reject Xhaka offer

Armed with that encouragement, Chelsea have now submitted an opening bid worth around £8million. However, Sunderland dismissed the proposal immediately.

The Wearside club believe the offer falls well below any realistic valuation and have privately described it as disrespectful.

Indeed, Chelsea’s proposal is understood to be around £10million lower than the total package Sunderland committed to bring Xhaka back to the Premier League from Bayer Leverkusen last summer.

More importantly, Sunderland insist there is no asking price because they have no intention of selling.

Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that club officials remain adamant Xhaka should honour the remaining two years of the contract he signed upon arriving at the Stadium of Light.

READ MORE: Man Utd, Chelsea frontrunners to sign €100m-rated World Cup star as Newcastle back away from deal

Sunderland star Xhaka now unsettled

The veteran midfielder exceeded all expectations during his first season on Wearside.

Initially, there were questions over Sunderland’s decision to invest heavily in a player entering the latter stages of his career, but Xhaka quickly silenced those doubts with a series of commanding performances that helped drive the Black Cats into European competition.

His leadership on and off the pitch has made him one of the most influential figures at the club, which is why Sunderland have no appetite to sanction his departure.

TEAMtalk understands there is also a feeling inside the club that Chelsea’s approach has unnecessarily unsettled one of their most important players.

While Xhaka has yet to formally react to Sunderland’s rejection of Chelsea’s offer, sources suggest the player’s openness to the move has not gone unnoticed.

Whether he now pushes for a transfer remains unclear. For now, Sunderland’s position could hardly be stronger.

The club have no desire to negotiate, have refused to place a valuation on their captain and remain determined to resist Chelsea’s advances. That, however, is unlikely to end the story.

Chelsea remain convinced Xhaka possesses exactly the profile Alonso wants and, after receiving encouragement from the player’s camp, are expected to consider their next move despite Sunderland’s firm resistance.