Sunderland has agreed a fee with Bayer Leverkusen for Granit Xhaka.
Sky Sports News understands that the reimbursement in the £ 17 million region is, so Sunderland costs a first £ 13 million with a maximum of £ 4 million in add-ons.
Sunderland last week personal conditions corresponded to the former Arsenal-Man and the 32-year-old will sign a three-year deal and give essential experience to the midfield of the Mackems.
Sunderland has raised their total offer by £ 7 million to do the deal and Xhaka has been given permission to travel to the UK to undergo a medical one.
More to follow …
Analysis: 'Metronome' Xhaka could transform the survival of Sunderland
Sam -Blitz from Sky Sports:
For the promoted clubs, bringing in Premier League quality will be crucial for their survival. Sunderland signing Brighton wing player Simon Adingra is a start, but Granit Xhaka would be a stratospheric signing.
The Switzerland International had a mixed career at Arsenal, but one important theme noticed – managers continued to choose him.
Arsene Wenger and Mikel Arteta held him as an important member of the team despite his countless red cards, in which the current Arsenal manager even brought him back from the cold after a big fight with the supporters of the club, which led to his Captainincy being removed by Unai Emery.
It is because – despite the controversy that Xhaka can bring – he is the metronome in every team for which he plays.
His stability was of vital importance for Bayer Leverkusen who won the competition and cup double in his first season, while even the last term – a more disappointing campaign compared to – saw Xhaka see its value.
Only Joshua Kimmich succeeded more in open play and balls in the last third than Xhaka previous term, while his fitting accuracy of 90 percent showed his reliability in possession.
Of course, Xhaka, who plays for a relegation-threatened Sunderland side, will contrast very differently with the possession-heavy spells at Arsenal and Leverkusen.
But he was arsenal captain and part of the leadership group of Leverkusen. If a deal is completed, this is a signature that gives the black cats a huge survival boost.
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