Sunderland target Xhaka will not leave - Ten Hag

Head coach Erik ten Hag says Sunderland target Granit Xhaka will not be allowed to leave Bayer Leverkusen this summer.

The 32-year-old former Arsenal midfielder's agent told German media on Tuesday he had agreed personal terms with the newly promoted Premier League club and wanted to return to England.

However, after selling Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong to Liverpool, as well as Jonathan Tah to Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga club do not want to lose any more players.

"The agent can say anything. But this club has already lost three important players," Ten Hag said.

"We won't let any more players go, that's not possible. That would neglect the structure and also the culture of the squad.

"It's clear - Granit is a leader, he has signed here for five years and has three years left on his contract. He's too important for us to let him go."

The Switzerland player spent seven years in the Premier League with Arsenal before joining Leverkusen in 2023.

He helped Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title and the German Cup double under Xabi Alonso during his debut season, when they also lost the Europa League final to Atalanta.

Xhaka has three years to run on the five-year deal he signed in 2023.

Ten Hag, who spent more than two years at Manchester United before being sacked in October 2024, replaced Alonso as head coach earlier this summer following the Spaniard's move to Real Madrid.