Chelsea submit shock €30m bid after Xabi Alonso request

Updated: 27 Jun 2026 15:10 BST | 4 min read

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

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Chelsea have made a €30 million offer for Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka at the request of new manager Xabi Alonso.

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The Spaniard is set to take charge of the Blues when pre-season begins next month. Instead of being merely a head coach, Alonso has been given the title of manager to reflect increased responsibility.

The 44-year-old will have more of a say in transfer business than his predecessors, and it is understood that Chelsea are planning to switch up their transfer strategy. They want to sign more experienced players.

Compared

Marco Palestra

D, M (R)

Cagliari

Marco Palestra

D, M (R)

Cagliari

VS

Maxence Lacroix

D (C)

C. Palace

Maxence Lacroix

D (C)

C. Palace

€12.6M	ETV	€51.6M
€11.3M - €13.8M	ETV Range	€46.4M - €56.8M
21 years old (03 Mar, 2005)	Age	26 years old (06 Apr, 2000)
Italy	Nationality	France

In addition to several pre-agreed deals for talented youngsters, Chelsea are set to confirm the signing of 21-year-old full-back Marco Palestra from Atalanta, while they are reportedly also closing in on a deal for 26-year-old Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix.

Centre-back and full-back are two priorities for the Blues this summer. With those bases now seemingly covered, they can move on to different positions. One of them is the midfield.

Alonso wants Xhaka reunion

Chelsea are believed to be ready to sign Valentin Barco from sister club Strasbourg as a potential replacement for compatriot Enzo Fernandez, who is in discussions over a big-money move to Real Madrid.

However, it seems that more midfield options are being explored. According to journalist Luca Cerchione, Chelsea have made a surprising offer for Sunderland captain Xhaka.

The 33-year-old is, of course, no stranger to Xabi Alonso. The pair won an unbeaten double at Bayer Leverkusen in 2023/24, and it is claimed that Chelsea's pursuit was an "express request" of the manager.

Xhaka is coming off a remarkable season at Sunderland. He showed his age in his final year at Leverkusen, but he was completely reinvigorated after completing his eyebrow-raising €15m move to the promoted Premier League side last summer.

It is now claimed that the Black Cats have been offered the chance to make a €15m profit, with Chelsea's rumoured bid having clocked in at €30m. If true, it would be nothing short of a sensational development for the former Arsenal star.

However, so far, Cerchione's claim has not been picked up by any major outlet or reporter, and it does appear to be quite an unrealistic move. At this stage, it seems unlikely that there is anything to this, but stranger things have happened in football and, particularly, at Chelsea.

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