Official: Sunderland Beat AC Milan and Saudi Club to Sign £17M Superstar

It's finally official!

IMAGO / DeFodi Images

Sunderland have made official the signing of Granit Xhaka, the 32-year-old midfielder from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.

The Black Cats announced that the former Arsenal star signed a three-year contract with the Stadium of Light residents.

Xhaka described himself as "very proud" to sign for Sunderland, revealing that when he negotiated with the club, he felt "the energy, and the mentality that all the people and players have."

"It's exactly what I wanted," added the experienced midfielder.

A few weeks ago, reports indicated that Xhaka had rejected the possibility of signing for Serie A side AC Milan.

Other reports even claimed that the Swiss had already reached an agreement with Saudi Pro League club NEOM SC. However, in the end, it was Sunderland who secured the player's signature.

Official: Sunderland beat AC Milan and Saudi Club to sign Granit Xhaka

"Sunderland AFC is delighted to announce the signing of Granit Xhaka, subject to international clearance," the club began in its official statement.

"The midfielder arrives from Bayer 04 Leverkusen for an undisclosed fee and signs a three-year contract at the Stadium of Light," they added.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Sunderland paid €20m to the German club (around £17m) - a figure much higher than the initially reported offer of €10m.

After signing his contract, Xhaka also wanted to send a message to The Black Cats fans, pointing out that the club has finally returned to the Premier League, where the team "needs to be."

The former Arsenal player added: "We need to find ourselves on the pitch, but I don't think this will be a big problem."

The club's sporting director, Kristjaan Speakman, stated that Xhaka's signing is a "significant endorsement of our ambition and our desire to build a team our supporters can be proud of."

Now we'll see the impact a player of Xhaka's caliber will have on Sunderland's return to the Premier League.