{"id":15326,"date":"2026-07-08T08:57:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T08:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=15326"},"modified":"2026-07-08T08:57:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T08:57:52","slug":"chelsea-refuse-to-give-up-after-transfer-twist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=15326","title":{"rendered":"Chelsea refuse to give up after transfer twist"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"content-main\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--post-header--><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"post-excerpt left\"><\/p>\n<p>Chelsea persist in pursuit of Granit Xhaka despite Sunderland\u2019s firm refusal to sell their captain.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"post-feat-img\" class=\"left relative\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-47.webp\" class=\"attachment- size- wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-47.webp 1200w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-47-600x338.webp 600w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-47-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-47.webp\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"675\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!--post-feat-img--><\/p>\n<section class=\"social-sharing-top\">\n<p><span class=\"fb-but1\"><i class=\"fa-brands fa-facebook-f\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Share<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" onclick=\"window.open('http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=Granit Xhaka: Chelsea refuse to give up after transfer twist -&amp;url=https:\/\/sixsports.in\/granit-xhaka-chelsea-refuse-to-give-up-after-transfer-twist\/', 'twitterShare', 'width=626,height=436'); return false;\" title=\"Share This Post\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"twitter-but1\"><i class=\"fa-brands fa-x-twitter\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Share<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"whatsapp-but1\"><i class=\"fa fa-whatsapp fa-2\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Share<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"pinterest-but1\"><i class=\"fa-brands fa-pinterest-p\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Share<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"email-but\"><i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-2\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Email<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p><!--social-sharing-top--><\/p>\n<div class=\"sx-entity-card\">\n<div class=\"sx-entity-top\">\n<div class=\"sx-entity-logo\">\n                <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"350\" height=\"350\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/chelsea_fc_logo-1.avif\" alt=\"CHELSEA\"\/>\n            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"sx-entity-description\">\n<p>            Chelsea is one of England\u2019s premier football clubs, competing in the Premier League and European competitions such as the UEFA Champions League. Known for its strong squad, tactical versatility, and competitive history, Chelsea has won multiple league titles, domestic cups,\u2026            <a class=\"sx-entity-readmore\" href=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/team\/chelsea\/\"><br \/>\n                Read More about CHELSEA\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Granit Xhaka is once again the man at the heart of this summer\u2019s biggest transfer news around Chelsea. Sunderland rejected the approach outright, but Chelsea keep chasing the deal. Xabi Alonso wants his old Leverkusen captain back. The <strong>Blues<\/strong> are not walking away yet.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-granit-xhaka-deal-hits-pushback-from-sunderland\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Granit Xhaka Deal Hits Pushback From Sunderland<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Interest from Stamford Bridge in Granit Xhaka began soon after Xabi Alonso took charge there. An \u00a38 million bid followed within weeks. Sunderland turned it down at once, with no delay. <strong>As reported by<\/strong> TEAMtalk, the club made their stance clear from the very start. Their captain, they said, was simply not for sale.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The interest was no surprise. Sunderland\u2019s captain had shone all through his first <strong>Premier League<\/strong> season. He helped the newly promoted side finish seventh and reach European football again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Granit Xhaka for Sunderland in 2025\/26<\/strong>as per FOTMOB:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\">\n<table class=\"has-fixed-layout\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Competitions<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Matches<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Goals<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Assists<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Successful Passes %<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Duels Won<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Recoveries<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Premier League<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">34<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">6<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">84<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">155<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">179<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>FA Cup<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">2<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">95<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">3<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">11<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Black Cats had no plan to let their captain go this window. <strong>As reported by<\/strong> Sky Sports, manager Regis Le Bris has also said how much Granit Xhaka means to his squad this season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Personal terms were said to be agreed between player and club. That added to the upset in west London. Sunderland refused to budge on their asking price, however. The midfielder had only arrived from Bayer Leverkusen a year earlier. Letting him go so soon never sat well with the club.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-granit-xhaka-remains-chelsea-target-despite-setback\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Granit Xhaka Remains Chelsea Target Despite Setback<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite that pushback, Chelsea have not walked away. Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano says the Blues still see a path to a deal. <strong>As reported by<\/strong> TEAMTalk, Romano said the Blues are <strong><em>\u201cyet to give up\u201d<\/em><\/strong>  on a move for Granit Xhaka. Sunderland, however, are standing firm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That effort shows how highly Alonso rates his former captain. The pair had success together at Bayer Leverkusen, lifting Germany\u2019s top-flight crown in 2023-24. Alonso wants that same drive back in his midfield. His squad is short on senior options at present.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Money remains the real sticking point. They paid close to \u00a317 million for Granit Xhaka just last summer. Taking anything near the rejected bid would mean a heavy loss for the Black Cats. That value gap, not a lack of will, is the real reason this story stays alive this summer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>As reported by <\/strong>Football365, the club looked at a fresh package worth around \u00a310 million. Most of that was in add-ons, rather than a straight fee. Sunderland stayed unmoved even by that new plan.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-202693\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-64.webp 1200w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-64-600x338.webp 600w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-64-768x432.webp 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-64.webp\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-64.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-202693\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-64.webp 1200w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-64-600x338.webp 600w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-64-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"h-sunderland-stay-firm-but-chelsea-keep-options-open\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sunderland Stay Firm, But Chelsea Keep Options Open<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For now, the saga looks set to go on. Sunderland remain firm that their captain is going nowhere. He is now busy with the World Cup for Switzerland. Even so, sources close to the matter say talks could start again before the window shuts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If nothing changes soon, the Blues could turn elsewhere. <strong>As reported by<\/strong> Sports Illustrated, Chelsea may need other options if this deal falls through. A shortage of senior leaders remains a real worry for Alonso this season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, this saga fits a common pattern in <strong\/>. A leading club is testing a smaller side\u2019s patience. A promoted team, meanwhile, refuses to let go of the player who made its comeback season. Either way, the outcome will shape midfield plans at Stamford Bridge for the year ahead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Read More:<\/strong> <strong><em>Alejandro Garnacho future takes dramatic Chelsea twist<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Also Read:<\/strong> <strong><em>Pep Chavarria emerges as Chelsea\u2019s top transfer target<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Read Next:<\/strong> <strong><em>Marco Palestra snubs Inter as Chelsea seal \u00a347m deal<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"after-article-links\" style=\"margin-top:20px; font-size:14px;\">Follow the latest updates from <strong>Premier League<\/strong>, <strong>The League<\/strong> and<br \/>\n        <strong>Champions League<\/strong>or explore more<br \/>\n        <strong>Football<\/strong> stories, <strong>Football Teams<\/strong> &#038; <strong>All Football Competitions<\/strong> . Follow more updates on CHELSEA. You can also check <strong>Latest Sports News<\/strong> or visit <strong>Six Sports<\/strong> for more Football updates.<\/div>\n<div class=\"fe-author-box\">\n<div class=\"fe-author-avatar\">\n        <img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ffe9f843f387ba0534380c0ff06ab28dd5e7f2371bbe3d356d549067f6389aaa?s=200&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-100 photo\" height=\"100\" width=\"100\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ffe9f843f387ba0534380c0ff06ab28dd5e7f2371bbe3d356d549067f6389aaa?s=100&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ffe9f843f387ba0534380c0ff06ab28dd5e7f2371bbe3d356d549067f6389aaa?s=100&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ffe9f843f387ba0534380c0ff06ab28dd5e7f2371bbe3d356d549067f6389aaa?s=200&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-100 photo\" height=\"100\" width=\"100\" decoding=\"async\"\/>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mvp-org-wrap\" itemprop=\"publisher\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\">\n<div class=\"mvp-org-logo\" itemprop=\"logo\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"690\" height=\"145\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Six-Sports.png\" src-webp=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Six-Sports.png.webp\" class=\"ewww_webp_lazy_load\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"690\" height=\"145\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Six-Sports.png\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Six-Sports.png\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!--mvp-org-logo--><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Six Sports\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!--mvp-org-wrap--><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--posts-nav-link--><\/p>\n<div class=\"mentioned-article-block\">\n<h3 class=\"mentioned-title\">Mentioned in this Article<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--comments-button--><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--comments-->\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chelsea persist in pursuit of Granit Xhaka despite Sunderland\u2019s firm refusal to sell their captain&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15327,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}