Xhaka flew to England on a private jet, accompanied by Sunderland majority owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, last night after the Black Cats agreed the terms of his deal with Bayer Leverkusen.
The Black Cats have agreed to pay €15m (£13m) in an initial up-front payment for the 32-year-old midfielder, with a further €5m (£4.3m) of ‘achievable’ add-ons also included in the deal.
Xhaka has agreed the terms of a three-year contract on Wearside, and has spent part of today completing a medical. Provided there are now unforeseen problems, his return to England should be formally confirmed within the next day or so.
The Swiss international is match fit as he started Bayer Leverkusen’s friendly against Bochum at the weekend, so he could make his first Sunderland appearance in Saturday’s friendly against Real Betis at the Stadium of Light.
Xhaka spelled out his desire for a move to Wearside last week, with Sunderland officials having first made contact with their counterparts at Leverkusen at the start of this month.
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While Sunderland have made six previous summer signings following last season’s success in the Championship play-offs, recruiting Xhaka has always been regarded as a potential ‘game-changer’.
Whereas the general thrust of Sunderland’s recruitment policy has largely remained unchanged following promotion, Kristjaan Speakman spoke of being willing to “tweak” it earlier this summer, and a deal for Xhaka would fit that bill. While the 32-year-old has little resale value given his age, his influence and leadership, both on and off the pitch, could be crucial as the Black Cats look to reestablish themselves in the Premier League next season.
Sunderland remain in talks over Lucumi, but the last 48 hours have failed to result in a breakthrough over the Bologna centre-half.
Lucumi had a €28m (£24.2m) release clause in his contract which expired earlier this summer, and Bologna are understood to be adamant that they will not allow the South American to leave for less than that figure.
There have been suggestions in the Italian media that the Serie A club could accept around £21.7m as an up-front payment, with the remainder of the fee comprised of add-ons, but the Sunderland hierarchy regard that as too high a sum to pay for the 27-year-old.
Sunderland are understood to have offered an initial payment of around £17m, and are currently extremely reluctant to raise that figure.
That has created an impasse, and while the Black Cats hierarchy will maintain a dialogue with their counterparts at Bologna, they are also understood to be considering alternative central-defensive options.
With a busy summer of activity showing no signs of slowing, Sunderland also continue to be linked with Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk.
Speaking in the wake of Saturday’s 3-0 friendly at Hearts, Regis Le Bris confirmed the Black Cats are still hoping to sign a new shot-stopper.
“I think we probably still need to sign a goalkeeper,” said Le Bris. “The market is still open, although the market is unpredictable and it is always like that.
A £17m move for Marcin Bulka failed to come to fruition earlier this summer when the Poland international opted to join Saudi Arabian side Neom FC instead, and while there has been talk of a move for Wolves’ Sam Johnstone, Sunderland officials have not made a formal move for the England international, who is now being heavily linked with Burnley.
Riznyk, who is a senior Ukraine international, is set to leave Shakhtar this summer, with his current employers having indicated that they are willing to do a deal for the 26-year-old despite their current involvement in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League.
