Sunderland announced on their official website on Wednesday that they have signed former Arsenal captain, Swiss international defensive midfielder Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen.

According to Sunderland's official statement, Xhaka has signed on a three-year contract which runs until the summer of 2028. He will also wear his signature number 34 jersey.

According to Sky Sports' resident renowned German transfer journalist Florian Plettenberg, the newly promoted Premier League club paid Die Werkself a transfer fee of £13 million, excluding potential add-ons of up to £4 million.

After completing his joining procedures process, Xhaka who was interviewed by the Sunderland official website for the first time, said: "I'm very proud to be here. When I spoke to the club, I was very excited and felt the energy and spirit of everyone and the players. It's exactly what I wanted, and I feel very good."

"We're back to where this club needs to be, and we want to stay here and write our own history. I feel ready to help the team with my experience and quality. We need to find our place on the pitch, but I don't think it will be a big problem."

"It's been a long wait, but I'm finally here now, and I'm looking forward to it."

About Granit Xhaka

Xhaka, 32, was born on September 27, 1992, in Basel, Switzerland. He is 1.86 meters tall and plays as a defensive midfielder. He holds dual Swiss and Albanian citizenship. His brother, Taulant, is a retired Albanian international defensive midfielder.

Xhaka joined Basel's youth academy at the age of 10 and completed his Basel first-team debut by coming on as a substitute in a Champions League qualifying match in July 2010, even scoring his first goal in that match.

During his two-year spell with Basel, Xhaka won the Swiss Super League twice and the Swiss Cup once with the club.

In May 2012, Xhaka joined Borussia Mönchengladbach for €8.5 million.

During his three-year spell with Die Fohlen, Xhaka helped the club qualify for the Champions League twice and reached the quarterfinals of the DFB-Pokal once.

In May 2016, Xhaka joined Arsenal for £30 million.

During his seven-year spell with the Gunners, despite a period in which he lost his captaincy after being booed by fans and threw his armband in anger, leading to his dismissal from the role as captain, Xhaka remained dedicated and helped the club win two Community Shields, two FA Cups, and reach the Europa League final once.

In July 2023, Xhaka joined Bayer Leverkusen for €25 million.

During his two-year spell at Die Werkself, Xhaka made 99 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring six goals and providing nine assists. During which he also helped the club complete the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and DFL-Super Cup treble once, and reached the Europa League final once.