Ten Hag refusing to let Granit Xhaka leave with Swiss midfielder looking to seal a move to Sunderland in the Prem.
Granit Xhaka, a target for Sunderland, will not be permitted to leave Bayer Leverkusen this summer, according to head coach Erik ten Hag.
On Tuesday, the agent for the 32-year-old former Arsenal midfielder informed German media that he had reached a personal agreement with the recently promoted Premier League team and desired to go back to England.
However, the Bundesliga team does not want to lose any more players after selling Jonathan Tah to Bayern Munich and Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong to Liverpool.
“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.”