Sunderland director of football Florent Ghisolfi has outlined the club's plans for the upcoming transfer window, stressing the need to add quality over quantity to the squad this summer. After qualifying for European football, Ghisolfi emphasised steady growth and made it clear the club would not spend beyond their means in reaching for the stars.
This message aligns with Regis Le Bris' comments towards the end of last season, when the manager said the club would target four or five new faces as they look to bolster their ranks. Sunderland are not looking to overhaul their squad again this summer, having added 15 new faces in the last summer transfer window — 14 after Marc Guiu returned to Chelsea.
Defensive Targets and Italian Market Interest
The Black Cats have been repeatedly linked with central defenders over the last 12 months, with Parma defender Mariano Troilo the latest star tipped to move to the Stadium of Light. It is clear Sunderland have been casting an eye over the Italian market, given links to Jhon Lucumi throughout last season, and Ghisolfi's experience in Italy will give them a head start in that regard.
The aforementioned four-to-five transfer targets figure could change if the Black Cats cash in on one of their highly rated assets this summer, with interest in Robin Roefs and Noah Sadiki following impressive debut seasons. However, Ghisolfi made it clear that the club should not fear sales, given their previous transfer record selling the likes of Ross Stewart, Jack Clarke, Jobe Bellingham and Tommy Watson before improving the squad. The Sunderland transfer chief did, however, make it clear that the club were under no pressure to sell their key players in order to comply with financial rules.
'Concrete Talks' for Yan Diomande
Sunderland's eye for a diamond in the rough has seen them receive plenty of praise for their transfer activity in recent years, but for every transfer that is a hit, there are also ones that slip through the net. The Black Cats may be ruing their decision not to activate a release clause in Yan Diomande's contract when the Ivory Coast international was with Leganes.
The rising star of European football is being linked with a transfer to Liverpool in excess of £100 million, after a brilliant breakthrough season with RB Leipzig. However, agent Wolfgang Meier claims Sunderland were in direct talks with the player and his representatives over a move to the Stadium of Light but would not pay the release clause of £17.3 million last summer. Since then, his transfer value has skyrocketed with 12 goals and nine assists in the Bundesliga last year. PSG and Real Madrid are also said to be keeping a close eye on the winger this summer.
Speaking to Sky Sports Germany, player-agent Meier said: "That's right. During negotiations with Leipzig, things also became very concrete with Sunderland. However, they didn't want to trigger the release clause. Many other clubs who could have paid the €20 million said they found the player very interesting, but a transfer was too risky due to his limited playing time."
Meier added: "Of the big Bundesliga clubs, only Borussia Dortmund showed interest in him. However, they indicated to me that they preferred to sign someone with more experience. I was surprised that Bayer Leverkusen didn't even consider him, as in my opinion, he would have been the ideal fit for the club. Instead, they opted for Ben Seghir from Monaco. It's almost normal these days for a lot of information to leak before transfers."
Kristjaan Speakman Set for New Role
Former Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman is closing in on a move to Danish side FC Copenhagen for a similar role to the one he held at the Black Cats. The transfer chief left the Stadium of Light with immediate effect in February after helping guide the Wearsiders back to the top flight. Now, Speakman is in advanced talks to replace Sune Smith-Nielsen at the Danish club.
