Sunderland Sign Roefs, Xhaka; Pursue Pirola

Sunderland, newly promoted to the Premier League, have completed the signings of Dutch goalkeeper Robin Roefs from NEC Nijmegen for over €10 million plus add-ons and Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen for approximately €20 million. Roefs joins on a five-year contract after a strong Eredivisie season and is expected to become the club’s starting goalkeeper. Xhaka arrives on a three-year deal, with Sunderland beating out AC Milan and NEOM SC for his signature. The club is also pursuing defensive reinforcements, having opened negotiations with Olympiacos for Italian center-back Lorenzo Pirola, valued at around £21.8 million, amid competition from Inter Milan and Roma. Sunderland remain interested in Bologna's Jhon Lucumi as part of their defensive strategy. These moves underline the club’s ambition to build a competitive squad for their Premier League return, ahead of their season opener against West Ham on August 16.