With Sunderland now officially relegated to the Championship, stories about players looking to leave the Stadium of Light have started circulating more and more.
Jermaine Defoe is one of the likely departures, while Papy Djliobodji has already admitted he would like to stay in the Premier League next season if possible.
However, those two aren’t the only ones likely to exit in the summer, with Lamine Koné also attracting a lot of interest, with Crystal Palace among the teams after him.
According to Foot Mercato, Sam Allardyce has already had a chat with the Ivorian defender’s entourage about a possible transfer in the summer, and the Eagles are expected to make a €12m bid for the player ‘soon’.
Considering the impact Mamadou Sakho has had at the club since joining on loan from Liverpool, his exit could leave a big gap in Palace’s defence, meaning someone needs to be brought in to fill it.
Anderlecht’s Kara was one of the players Allardyce was after in January, but if he can bring in a player like Lamine Koné in, who already has a fair bit of Premier League experience under his belt, at a reduced fee, he’ll probably go for it.
It’s worth remembering Everton had a £17m bid rejected for the player last summer, so €12m could be a steal, even if that fee is likely to go up a bit.
