Regis Le Bris reiterated that Granit Xhaka will be staying at Sunderland this transfer window, insisting any saga with Chelsea is “closed”.

Xhaka had been heavily linked with a move to the Blues earlier in this transfer window for a reunion with Xabi Alonso, who he played under at Bayer Leverkusen, but he confirmed he did not want to leave Sunderland.

The Switzerland international only joined Sunderland last summer, in a deal reportedly worth £17.2m (€22.9m), and was a standout performer for the Black Cats.

He made 34 appearances in the Premier League and scored one goal while also registering a joint-team-high six assists (level with Enzo Le Fee).

Xhaka also had the most touches (2,295) and topped the charts for passes (1,807) and successful passes (1,512) as he helped them to a seventh-place finish that secured a Europa League place.

Sunderland have stood firm in their desire to hold onto Xhaka for the upcoming season, with Le Bris confirming that had not changed.

“No, this topic is closed,” Le Bris said. “He has been really clear about his future.

“He loves Sunderland, he wants to stay in Sunderland. He wants to make the future of Sunderland. He is a good captain. Great leader.”

Sunderland won the Championship play-off final in 2024-25 to earn promotion to the Premier League and defied the odds with their stellar campaign.

They won 54 Premier League points this season, the most by a newly promoted side since Leeds United in 2020-21 (59 points), while their seventh-place finish is the best by a promoted team since Wolves in 2018-19 (also seventh).

They brought in 14 new players in last summer’s transfer window, but Le Bris says they will be taking a different approach this time around.

“It’s going to be quiet,” he added. “Under the radar, right?

“I won’t give you information. Because I think we are working hard behind the scenes, and it’s really important to be quiet because otherwise it’s a mess.

“And we are looking at probably a different transfer window if you compare with last season. We had to sign 14 new players. It won’t be the case this year. We’ll see what will happen.”