Sunderland have stepped up their pursuit of Arbenit Xhemajli by offering him a tour of their training ground, according to The Chronicle.
The Black Cats team which begins the 2020/21 could look very different from the one who finished outside the play-off places when last season was curtailed in April.
Sunderland have already snapped up Bailey Wright and Aiden O’Brien on free transfers and, should Luke Garbutt and Scott Fraser arrive, Phil Parkinson’s side will surely establish themselves as clear favourites for promotion next time around.
Garbutt and Fraser were in superb form in League One last season, the former shining at Ipswich Town while the latter produced nine goals and 14 assists before his contract at Burton Albion expired.
Xhemajli, in contrast, would be the very definition of an ‘unknown quantity’.
The 22-year-old has spent his entire career in Switzerland so far but he too is now a free agent, leaving Xamax earlier in the summer.
The Chronicle adds that Sunderland have offered Xhemajli the chance to fly to England and take a closer look at what are, surely, the most impressive facilities England’s third tier have seen in many a year.
The once-capped Kosovan international is highly-rated in mainland Europe and could forge an impressive partnership with the experienced Wright at the heart of Parkinson’s backline.
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