Xabi Alonso wants the band back together. Chelsea’s newly appointed manager has reportedly zeroed in on Granit Xhaka as a primary midfield target, looking to reunite with the Swiss international who was instrumental in Bayer Leverkusen’s historic Bundesliga title run.

The catch: Xhaka’s current club Sunderland just qualified for European competition, and the reported £25M price tag may not be enough to pry him loose. Alonso himself reportedly considers that figure too low for what Xhaka brings to the table.

Why Xhaka fits Alonso’s Chelsea blueprint

When Xhaka left Arsenal for Leverkusen in 2023, the move was widely seen as a career downshift. Instead, it became a career renaissance. Under Alonso’s tactical system, Xhaka transformed from a polarizing figure at the Emirates into the metronome of a title-winning midfield.

Chelsea’s broader strategy under Alonso appears to involve threading experienced heads through a squad that has leaned heavily on developing talent. Xhaka would serve as the connective tissue, someone who can set tempo, organize a press, and deliver the kind of dressing-room authority that doesn’t show up on a highlight reel but absolutely shows up in results.

The £25M question

Alonso reportedly views the £25M figure as an undervaluation of Xhaka’s worth. Leadership, game management, and the ability to function as an on-pitch coach are notoriously difficult to price.

For Sunderland, the calculus is straightforward. They’ve secured European football, a significant milestone for a club that spent years clawing its way back up the English football pyramid. Selling your most experienced midfielder right before a European campaign is the kind of move that sends a very specific, very bad message to the rest of the squad and the fanbase.

As of the latest reports, no formal bid has been submitted. The discussions remain in the realm of interest and intent rather than ink on paper.

What this means for the Premier League midfield market

Xhaka’s career arc is itself instructive. At Arsenal, he was a lightning rod for criticism, the kind of player who’d get scapegoated after every bad result despite quietly posting some of the best passing and pressing numbers in the squad. His move to the Bundesliga under Alonso unlocked a version of the player that Arsenal fans always suspected existed but rarely saw consistently.

Sunderland’s negotiating position strengthens with every week that passes without a bid. The closer the European campaign gets, the harder it becomes for them to justify selling. If Chelsea are serious, they’ll need to move quickly and decisively, something the club hasn’t always excelled at in recent transfer windows.