Sunderland have made a surprise move to sign Royal Antwerp’s Jules Ahoka before the end of the summer window.
The Premier League side are working on improving their midfield and have identified a few targets.
Last week, Sport Witness covered claims from Italy of Napoli rejecting Sunderland’s offer for Napoli’s Frank Anguissa and demanding €20m.
New midfield target for Sunderland
The Black Cats have identified Jules Ahoka as another target. That’s according to Het Laatste Nieuws, who cover their advances to sign the Royal Antwerp player.
Last September, the 20-year-old joined the Jupiler Pro League side from AC Normands for around €150k. He has played four matches for the first team, of which two are from this season.
The defensive midfielder has a contract until 2029, and Transfermarkt value him at €300k. Royal Antwerp will soon make a huge profit from his sale to Sunderland.
Régis Le Bris’ side are in advanced negotiations with the Belgian club as Ahoka is ‘on the verge’ of moving to England. The two clubs are yet to agree terms and the expectation is for them to finalise the deal over €10m in the coming days.
HLN labels this transfer as a ‘huge surprise, especially because Ahoka still had everything to prove.’
The player is clear that he wants to join the Premier League side. He doesn’t want to miss out on this opportunity because of both sporting and financial reasons.
Manager backs player for bright future
Het Nieuwsblad are also reporting the DR Congo U23 international is ‘suddenly close to joining’ Sunderland.
Royal Antwerp will face KRC Genk later today and Jules Ahoka won’t be in the squad. In the pre-match press conference on Friday, manager Marvin Compper praised him.
“He is growing every day. Physically he is very strong, but he is also getting better and better on the pitch. He can become more than just a substitute; he can even become a key player,” he said.
After yesterday’s presser, the player stopped training as he’s edging closer towards a move to the Stadium of Light. The midfielder’s exit is a ‘major blow’ for Compper.
