Granit Xhaka’s potential move to Sunderland was thrown into great doubts after Erik Ten Hag blocked his exit.
The former manager of Manchester United, who was taken over by Xabi Alonso near Bayer Leverkusen, no longer wants to sell stars.
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Leverkusen has already seen Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong to Liverpool, with Jonathan Tah going to Bayern.
And Ten HAG is not interested in leaving someone else and withdrawing at the last comments from Xhakas Agent.
The ex-Arsenal midfielder told the club that he would only like to join Sunderland this summer after offering a three-year deal.
His agent Jose Noguera confirmed that an agreement had been made between his player and the black cats.
Noguera said Xhaka was ready for an “exciting new challenge” and he hoped that an agreement could now be achieved with Leverkusen.
But now Ten Hag has spoken about the agent’s quotes and announced that he would not sell the Swiss international.
He told reporters on Leverkusen’s pre-season tour in Brazil, as quoted by BILD: “His agent can say what he wants.
“But this club has already let three important players go and we won’t let go.
“Granite is a leader, he has three years left here.
“It is clear – granite is an important player, he signed here for five years and has three years left.
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“He is too important for us to let him go.”
The sports director of Leverkusen, Simon Rolfes, also talked about the ongoing talks between Xhaka and Sunderland.
Rolfes shared the same attitude as ten HAG and said: “I repeatedly said that Granite was an important guide.
“The trainer and I agree. We are in dialogue with all of our players. In the end it is always a three-party situation.
“Granite still has a three-year contract and in principle there can only be a change if all three sides agree.
“Topics like this always cause discussions and conversations. That’s why it doesn’t shock me.”
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The Premier League return from Xhaka
Xhaka hopes to seal a return to the Premier League two years after leaving Arsenal for Leverkusen.
The former captain of Gunners made over 200 top appearances in England and now wants to come back.
It would be a large coup for newly widespread Sunderland because they want to bring in the experienced 32-year-old for 8.7 million GBP.
The black cats have already made six summer commitments, including Simon Adingra, Noah Sadiki and Habib Diarra.
Chemsdine Talbi and Reinildo have also joined the club, while Enzo Le Fee sealed a permanent step after an initial loan.
The manager Regis Le Bris is now watching Xhaka, which would probably have a great influence on and next to the field for Sunderland.