Alan Shearer slams chelsea after 'embarrassing' £8 million bid for Alonso favourite

Xhaka has emerged as a key target for new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, who previously worked with the Swiss midfielder at Bayer Leverkusen.

The pair played a crucial role in guiding Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga title in the 2023-24 season.

After captaining Arsenal, Xhaka joined newly-promoted Sunderland last summer and was one of the standout performers as the Black Cats exceeded expectations by finishing in the top half of the Premier League.

Alonso believes the experienced 33-year-old can bring leadership and quality to a Chelsea side that finished 10th last season.

However, Sunderland quickly rejected Chelsea’s opening £8m offer, describing it as disrespectful and insisting Xhaka is not for sale.

Shearer, the Premier League’s all-time leading scorer, also branded the bid embarrassing

“Sunderland bought Granit Xhaka for £17m, and he was one of the best players in the Premier League last season,” Shearer told Betfair.

"He wasn’t just one of the best players at Sunderland, but in the Premier League. And Chelsea think they can come in and offer less than half of what they bought him for and think that’s acceptable? That’s bizarre to me.”

The Blues are now expected to return with an improved bid to land Alonso's top target.