Sunderland Suffer Further Blow In Attacker Hunt
Sunderland’s hunt to add to their attacking options has suffered another blow after seeing a €5 million bid rejected for LOSC Lille winger Alan Virginius, according to RMC Sport.
The Black Cats have made no secret of the fact that they wish to bolster their front line before the end of the transfer window, and they suffered disappointment last night when reported target Jay Stansfield joined fellow Championship club Birmingham City on a season-long loan.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s trip to play-off finalists Coventry City, manager Tony Mowbray shed some light on the situation surrounding the Fulham youngster, saying;
“I honestly don’t know where that stands at this point, and that’s me being honest.
“I thought it was done, and I wouldn’t have said so otherwise. I’d spoken to the manager and he’d spoken to the boy, and so we thought we were ready to get it done.
“It didn’t happen, I think there has been an issue in terms of his contractual situation there and it’s become complicated. They obviously thought that was going to resolved easily (and then he could move), but that wasn’t the case.”
Sunderland moved swiftly on to other targets, immediately setting their sights on France under-20 international Virginius.
Although primarily a right-winger, the 20-year-old can also operate on the opposite flank and has deputised in the centre-forward role at times. He joined Lille last summer for a reported fee of €4 million from fellow French club FC Sochaux and was eased into the team upon his arrival, scoring one goal in 15 appearances last season.
According to RMC Sport’s report, the €5 million bid has been rejected, with the player also happy at the club and the prospect of playing Europa Conference League football this season.
With just one week remaining of the summer transfer window, Sunderland are fast running out of time to secure fresh blood and it looks set to be a busy few days at the Stadium of Light.
Writer’s View
Whether Sunderland held any interest in Virginius prior to their failed move for Jay Stansfield is anyone’s guess, although the two do operate in different positions.
The Wearside club are said to be working on a number of deals and they could potentially look at bringing in a winger and a striker before the end of next week to replace the departed Amad Diallo and the injured Ross Stewart.
There could yet be a late move for last season’s loan star Amad should Manchester United be willing to allow the youngster to spend another campaign in the Championship, although it is thought that the Red Devils prefer a move to either another Premier League club or to one of Europe’s top leagues.
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