Furious Erik ten Hag blocks Granit Xhaka's Bayer Leverkusen exit after Sunderland transfer agreement as ex-Man Utd boss insists 'we're not letting anyone else go'

After key Leverkusen players Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz joined Liverpool, while Jonathan Tah headed to Bayern Munich, Xhaka's agent claimed that a "basic agreement" has been struck with Sunderland and that the Swiss international wants to leave the club. Now, in response to agent José Noguerra Rodriguez saying Leverkusen had given the 32-year-old permission to talk about a transfer, manager Ten Hag has shut that down.

"The agent can say anything. This club has already sold three important players. We can't let anyone else go. That would undermine the structure and culture of the squad," the ex-Manchester United boss told reporters. "He's [Xhaka] a leader. He still has three years left on his contract, and he's simply too important for us."

Leverkusen won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal in 2024 but went trophyless last season. Without manager Xabi Alonso and Frimpong and Wirtz, things could unravel for the German side - something Ten Hag is seemingly desperate to prevent. Xhaka is a vital part of their midfield and losing him as well would be a huge blow for the Bundesliga team.

It remains to be seen if Xhaka will try and force through a Leverkusen exit this summer but in the meantime, Ten Hag's new team - who he joined back in May after getting sacked by Manchester United last October - face VFL Bochum in their next pre-season friendly on Sunday evening.