How did we get here? The main reason is money. Although Leverkusen is a top team in Germany, Sunderland was willing to top Xhaka’s current salary of €8 million ($9.3 million). Sunderland reportedly offered €10 million ($11.6 million) a season.

The newly-promoted Premier League club are set to pay Leverkusen €15m up front with a further €5m in potential add-ons.

Sunderland have reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen for the signing of Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka (h/t journalist Fabrizio Romano).The deal is worth around €20 million, with the player