He made an instant impact as a regular starter in their side as Xabi Alonso led his squad to an invincible title-winning Bundesliga season in Xhaka’s debut campaign, and also featured 49 times last term as Leverkusen finished second.
The 32-year-old has been linked with a move away, though, with newly-promoted Premier League side Sunderland claimed to be lining up a bid to sign Xhaka in what would be a huge statement of intent on their return to the top-flight.
The Times (23 July) have reported that Xhaka has agreed terms to join Sunderland, and his agent, Jose Noguera, recently admitted that the Swiss midfielder “wants to return to the Premier League,” so a move is seemingly imminent.