Updated: 5 May 2026 14:59 BST |
4 min read
Manchester United have been told to sign Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka this summer by club legend Peter Schmeichel.
The Red Devils are set to purchase at least two new central midfielders during the upcoming summer transfer window, and they are widely expected to prioritise Premier League proven stars following the successes of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo during their debut seasons at Old Trafford.
Casemiro has confirmed that he will depart the 13-time Premier League champions upon the expiration of his contract at the end of June, while the club are also eager to offload Manuel Ugarte on a permanent deal following an underwhelming two-year stint.
Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson is widely understood to be Man Utd’s primary midfield target, but they aren’t currently prepared to pay a fee in excess of €120 million to secure his signature and they have begun scouring the market for cheaper alternatives.
Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba, Alex Scott, Mateus Fernandes and Joao Gomes are all on Man Utd’s radar ahead of the upcoming window, although a move for Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali appears to have been ruled out due to the finances that will be required to lure him away from St James’ Park.
Man Utd are also keeping close tabs on Real Madrid superstar Aurelien Tchouameni, but it may prove extremely difficult to pluck him from Los Blancos ahead of next season.
The vast majority of Man Utd’s targets are under the age of 25, however club legend Schemiechel believes the Red Devils should aim to complete a surprise move for the aforementioned Xhaka instead.
Typical Granit Xhaka 👏📊 pic.twitter.com/4VrC4GrOWi
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) April 13, 2026
Man Utd told to sign Granit Xhaka
Speaking to fellow ex-Man Utd icons Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Schmeichel said: “I think we should go and sign Xhaka.
“I make my case, what we are going to do is build the team around Kobbie [Mainoo], right. Now Casemiro is leaving. Now you bring in somebody like [Adam] Wharton, [Elliot] Anderson whatever… that’s still young, that’s still untried. What we need and what we don’t really have apart from Harry [Maguire] and Bruno [Fernandes] in that team is proper leadership.
“When I look at what Xhaka’s done for Sunderland, Xhaka is the reason they are where they are. He has been absolutely amazing, his leadership qualities are great, he can play 80% of the games, he’s a really good player. We’re desperate for more leadership.”
Xhaka, 33, joined Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of €15 million last summer and he was appointed as club captain ahead of his debut season at the Stadium of Light. The Switzerland international has made a total of 33 appearances since his arrival at Regis Le Bris’ side, scoring once and providing six assists, and he will have two years remaining on his contract at the club this summer.
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