The Colombian striker is reportedly unhappy after the Brazilian club rejected a lucrative offer from abroad. He wanted the move, which would have brought him a significant pay rise, but Athletico decided against selling.

Sport Witness have exclusively reported weeks ago that Aston Villa and Sunderland had both asked questions about Viveros. Villa even returned for more information in October, with reports suggesting they were considering an offer above €20m (£17.4m).

Now another club appears to have tried its luck. The identity of the bidder hasn’t been revealed, so there’s nothing to suggest either Premier League side was behind this latest approach.

Athletico reject offer – Viveros wanted to leave

The news comes from Brazilian insider outlet Três Pontos Athletico. They say Athletico received an offer for Viveros’ permanent transfer within the past ten days. The proposal came from outside Brazil and included a very attractive salary for the striker.

According to the report, the player’s representatives took it to Athletico, who turned it down.

“The club rejected it,” the reporter explained. And Viveros apparently wasn’t pleased.

“He made it clear to Athletico that he wanted to leave,” he continued, explaining that the financial terms were extremely favourable to the player.

The journalist added that the deal would also have brought several million into the Brazilian club’s accounts.

There’s no indication of the exact fee or which club submitted the proposal.

Athletico, though, seem to have other ideas. The club want to keep Viveros for next season, with another player, Arthur, now looking the more likely candidate for a major sale.

KEVIN VIVEROS Senior club career · All competitions

Club	Years played	Appearances	Goals
América de Cali	2017–2019	21	0
Atlético FC (loan)	2019	14	3
Leones (loan)	2020	14	2
Carabobo	2022	34	21
Deportivo Cali (loan)	2023	23	7
FK Sarajevo	2023	1	0
La Equidad (loan)	2024	21	8
Atlético Nacional (loan)	2024–2025	59	14
Athletico Paranaense	2025–present	63	32
CAREER TOTAL		250	87

ATHLETICO PARANAENSE · SÉRIE A 2026
32 appearances  |
21 goals  |
3 assists  |
2,811 minutes
133.9 minutes per goal  |
117.1 minutes per goal contribution
0.77 goal contributions per 90

Career table follows FotMob’s recorded competitive senior club totals, including domestic cups, state competitions and European qualifiers. Youth, reserve, international and friendly matches excluded. Loan appearances are credited to the club represented without double-counting.
La Equidad is shown under its name during his spell; some databases now label it Internacional de Bogotá. Current-season block covers Série A only, with minutes following FotMob. Goal contributions = goals + assists.
Updated: 6 November 2026.

SPORT WITNESS

Form drops as January approaches

There’s another complication. After months of outstanding form, Viveros hasn’t been playing particularly well lately, and the reporter believes his performances towards the end of the Brazilian season are hurting his market value.

The striker was also involved in an ugly incident against Vasco, receiving a red card after stepping on an opponent.

That could bring further disciplinary trouble, although no additional punishment has been confirmed in the information provided.

It was suggested that Viveros appeared more concerned about the rejected offer than his performances on the pitch. So the reported frustration over the blocked transfer is worth watching.

The Brazilian season finishes in December, just before the January window opens in England. Athletico are also expected to return for pre-season in early January. That leaves a natural opportunity for interested clubs to come back with offers.

Aston Villa and Sunderland already know Viveros’ situation, and his representatives have been working on his future for some time.

Whether either club returns is another matter. For now, Athletico have rejected a lucrative foreign offer, and their striker reportedly isn’t happy about it. January could be interesting.

The post Kevin Viveros furious as offer rejected – Sunderland and Aston Villa circle for January swoop appeared first on Sport Witness.

Nick Woltemade has three Europa League goals for the Bianconeri but hasn’t scored a single time in the Serie A. Question marks are growing about his lack of suitability to the system, with Randal Kolo Muani also not proving to be consistent so far.

As a result, Juve themselves have failed to find consistency. They beat Napoli at the weekend but it came after a period of chaos, when the squad was taken to a training camp following a defeat to Genoa.

Now, they want to solve problems and there can be arrivals from Manchester United and Sunderland.

Capital increase will help

Calciomercato note that Juve’s accounts from the end of June show losses of €66m. Despite that, the club’s ownership is looking at a €250m capital increase, which means that €100m could go towards making more signings in January.

The striker position is one area of concern, as the Old Lady want a proven goalscorer.

They see Manchester United’s Benjamin Sesko as a possible target. The Slovenian is currently injured but is expected to be monitored for the ‘coming weeks’, with the Bianconeri interested in how things evolve.

Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey is also on the shortlist, amidst belief that the pair are exactly the sort of profiles Juve want.

Valuations of the duo are unknown but Luciano Spalletti’s side want to keep assessing their situation further. The report indicates that finances might not be a problem and a Dusan Vlahovic-type forward could become a priority in January.

Our take: January deals could be complex

While Juve clearly want forwards, convincing Manchester United and Sunderland could be difficult in January.

The 23-year-old is expected to be out until at least January. This will hinder any chances of his departure, as there is still uncertainty about his fitness and return to action.

In Brobbey’s case, his status as a key player will deter Sunderland from executing a sale. More pointedly, he signed a renewal this week and is unlikely to be going anywhere.

The post Sunderland player on shortlist amidst €250m capital increase appeared first on Sport Witness.

Roll back to last season, before the World Cup, and there were major questions over the Netherlands duo.

Verbruggen had enjoyed another solid campaign with Brighton but, there were calls for him to be replaced by Roefs.

He had enjoyed a stellar first campaign at Sunderland, proving to be one of the best signings of the season as the Black Cats secured European football in their first season back in the Premier League.

A few months on, and the picture is very different. Verbruggen is a star again as Brighton fly high at the top half of the Premier League. Roefs, meanwhile, finds himself at the bottom of the league after a horrible start to the campaign.

Tone change

Nobody is currently calling him for him to be the Netherlands’ first choice. In fact, he can now find himself catching strays as Verbruggen sits in the spotlight.

“I was watching,” Derksen remarked on the show Vandaag Inside, referring to last weekend’s match between Manchester City and Brighton.

“I’m not usually a huge fan of his (Verbruggen), but he played truly excellently. Brighton is a massive surprise. They’ve firmly established themselves among the top clubs. They actually beat Manchester City and they did it playing good football.”

“Verbruggen is simply the best goalkeeper in the Netherlands,” added Valentijn Driessen.

“If you look at the footage of Roefs, then everyone would be convinced of that.”

What next?

The question now is whether Brighton and Sunderland continue on their current trajectories. Brighton appear to be suffering no ill effects from playing in Europe at this point. But that could change as the busy winter period looms.

Sunderland, meanwhile, appear ill equipped to life in two competitions. They are, perhaps, regretting an impressive season last year at this point. Whether things get worse as that busy schedule hits, remains to be seen. They will certainly be fearful that it might.

If it does, Roefs can perhaps expect more comments such as these. The Dutch journalists simply won’t be able to stop themselves.

The post “I’ve been watching” – Shots fired at Sunderland star as Brighton man praised appeared first on Sport Witness.

The Colombia international moved to Europe when KRC Genk signed him from Deportivo Cali in 2018. Four years later, the Belgian club sold him to Bologna. His rise at the Serie A side had caught the attention of Sunderland and Atlético.

The two clubs missed out on the centre-back to Juventus, who signed him from Bologna in August.

Sunderland and Atlético were keen 

The Black Cats returned to the Premier League after winning the Championship playoff final in May 2025. Régis Le Bris’ side wanted to strengthen their defence with the 28-year-old last summer.

A year ago, Sport Witness covered a report from Italy explaining that Sunderland were ready to pay €30m plus for Jhon Lucumí. However, the Serie A side refused to sell him.

In July, Bologna CEO Claudio Fenucci backed up claims of blocking his sale to Sunderland in 2025. Fast forward to October, and AS caught up with Simone Rondanini to discuss his client’s growth so far. He has been managing the player since his time at Genk.

AS asked the agent how he handled Lucumí attracting interest from Sunderland, Atlético Madrid, Napoli and Barcelona.

Responding to that, he said: “I always tell the players we represent that there’s a difference between interest and a concrete offer.”

“In this world we operate in, clubs call you to get information about the price, salary, contract length, etc., and they do a kind of scouting to understand the type of player they need. They make calls to the coach, the sporting director, and make decisions.”

“Yes, there was interest and calls from those clubs, but it never materialised into a firm offer on the table. It was actually quite simple to tell him: ‘Look, there’s interest, you’re doing well, but we have to keep working so that an offer comes in.’ Like I said, we didn’t get any offers. Calls, yes. There were calls from other teams, but it wasn’t what either he or we were looking for.”

Sunderland only concrete option in 2025 

The newspaper immediately asks the agent how close Atlético Madrid were to signing his client. When responding to that, Simone Rondanini also opens up about Sunderland’s bid for Jhon Lucumí.

“We had calls with them, but for two years in a row we had the passport problem. In the summer of 2024 we were very close, but Conor Gallagher signed and we couldn’t move forward because of the visa issue. They couldn’t have another non-EU player,” Rondanini explained.

“We kept an eye on things in case it could happen, but nothing came of it. Jhon liked the Atleti project, but the fact that he was going from Italy to Italy instead of Spain worked out well for him.”

“He might have been disappointed if he had stayed at Bologna this year, but at that time we had a formal offer from Sunderland, but it didn’t materialise either because the club didn’t want to sell. In the end, the boy stayed, and that was that, because there were no other options.”

The post Agent talks up handling Sunderland and Atlético interest – Black Cats tabled offer appeared first on Sport Witness.

In the summer transfer window of 2025, the Frenchman was close to heading to the Stadium of Light. Sport Witness tracked how the deal fell through at the very end, as those around the player changed the financial demands.

This summer, it was Ipswich Town who were interested but the player ended up staying at Sassuolo.

Despite this, speculation around Lauriente hasn’t gone away. If anything, it has only grown after the failed moves to England.

Player heading towards big move

Tuttomercatoweb report on the winger, who scored a brace for Sassuolo against Fiorentina. It went in vain, as La Viola won 4-2, coming back twice to win the game.

It is increasingly clear that Lauriente is one of Sassuolo’s best players. Some months ago, he signed a new deal that runs until 2029. This was the Neroverdi’s way of establishing a high price tag for the winger.

The report notes that Ipswich Town made a move to land him in the summer. Turkish clubs also made attempts to sign him but their offers were never enough to convince Sassuolo.

The outlet also note how Sunderland came very close to a deal too.

Now, Lauriente is valued at at least €25m, with the price having grown because of him signing a new deal.

This doesn’t mean that his future is secure, though. Clubs like Napoli continue to keep tabs on the attacker, who could make a January move to Naples. This is a sign that Lauriente’s stock remains high.

Our take: Player deserves a big move

Sassuolo’s identity in the Serie A is that of a selling club. They sold Tarik Muharemovic to Leeds United in the summer and have done the same for Davide Frattesi and Gianluca Scamacca in the past.

This shows that they’re simply waiting for the right offer to arrive for Lauriente.

He is at the peak of his powers and there can’t be a better time to get a big move. So if he has to take a step up, it should come soon.

This should also encourage Sunderland and Ipswich Town, who know him well.

The post Sunderland and Ipswich Town with second chance at €25m signing appeared first on Sport Witness.

The Premier League side signed the midfielder from RC Strasbourg in July 2025. In his debut season, he made 22 appearances, managing three goals and three assists. A groin injury and his involvement at AFCON restricted his minutes with the Black Cats.

This season, Diarra has played 178 minutes from six matches, with injuries again bothering him.

He suffered a hamstring injury in Sunderland’s 1-0 league win over Fulham in August. This kept the 22-year-old away from the pitch for 47 days, resulting in him missing the last international break.

Sunderland player’s new setback 

The Senegal international returned to action in the English club’s 2-0 league defeat to AFC Bournemouth in October. Since then, he made three more appearances, and the last was in Sunderland’s EFL Cup win over Brentford.

Habib Diarra started the cup tie, and Chriss Rigg replaced him after the first half. He had missed last weekend’s league defeat to Coventry City because of the fresh setback.

Régis Le Bris has confirmed the former Strasbourg man suffered a muscle problem during training and was unsure about the severity of the setback.

Earlier this year, there were reports linking him with a move away from the Stadium of Light. The frequent injury problems may force his potential suitors to soften or end their interest.

HABIB DIARRA

Reported injury history · Strasbourg and Sunderland

Recorded period	Club	Injury / issue	Recorded duration
16 May–30 June 2022	Strasbourg	Knock	46 days
6 February–4 March 2023	Strasbourg	Calf injury	27 days
21 October–4 November 2023	Strasbourg	Groin injury	15 days
26 February–2 March 2024	Strasbourg	Achilles tendon contusion	6 days
14–20 April 2024	Strasbourg	Facial injury	7 days
11 June–2 July 2024	Strasbourg	Ankle sprain	22 days
3 March–4 April 2025	Strasbourg	Ankle injury	33 days
21–23 April 2025	Strasbourg	Unspecified injury	Brief absence
September–December 2025	Sunderland	Groin injury requiring surgery	Around three months
Late August–October 2026	Sunderland	Hamstring injury	Around six weeks
Late October 2026–ongoing	Sunderland	Muscle injury in training	Return date unconfirmed

LATEST UPDATE
Régis Le Bris confirmed a fresh muscle problem after Diarra missed the Coventry match on 31 October. The midfielder had recently returned from his hamstring injury. The severity and recovery timeframe remained unconfirmed in the latest report.

Dates represent publicly recorded injury periods, which can differ between databases and do not necessarily mark a return to competitive action. Historical coverage may be incomplete.
The 2025 groin absence is shown as one rehabilitation period: Sunderland said on 12 December that he was expected back in full training the following week. The October 2026 muscle injury is reported as a fresh setback.
Updated: 3 November 2026.

SPORT WITNESS

What’s happened now

The midfielder will be out for ‘at least three weeks’ and D Sports in Senegal provides the latest about his setback.

Senegal will face Sudan twice in the AFCON qualifiers on November 11th and 15th. The latest blow means Habib Diarra can’t represent the national team.

New Senegal manager Patrick Vieira left him out for September and October’s matches. The second setback means he can’t call-up the Sunderland man for the next international break.

This is a blow for Diarra, who has to wait longer to play under Vieira. With the player out of action for three weeks, he will miss Sunderland’s next three matches.

• v Dinamo Zagreb on November 5th
• v Chelsea on November 8th
• v Aston Villa on November 21st

The post Blow for Sunderland man after injury setback – Player out for ‘at least 3 weeks’ appeared first on Sport Witness.

The Black Cats are having a miserable season. After finishing seventh and qualifying for Europe last year, they’ve somehow ended up bottom of the Premier League.

Fonte, who works as Régis Le Bris’ assistant, believes the Mozambique international could help turn things around. He’s convinced Catamo has what Sunderland need, and wants the club to make another move.

There’s just one rather expensive problem… Sporting still want €40m for him, and they’re not keen on selling.

José Fonte wants Catamo at Sunderland

Portuguese newspaper A Bola reports that Fonte is the main driving force behind Sunderland’s renewed interest.

The former Portugal international knows the Portuguese league inside out. He only retired last season after playing for Casa Pia, and apparently sees Catamo as someone who could make a real difference at the Stadium of Light.

It’s not as though Sunderland haven’t tried before. Last summer, they offered Sporting more than €30m, with bonuses taking the package close to €40m. The Portuguese champions turned it down, holding firm on their valuation.

For Catamo himself, the move was financially tempting. The salary on offer in England was reportedly five times what he earns in Lisbon.

Now Fonte wants another attempt, with Sunderland’s position making January recruitment all the more important.

Sporting have other plans for Catamo

The trouble for Sunderland is that Sporting would much prefer to keep their number 10.

A Bola explains that the €40m asking price hasn’t changed. The Lisbon club have also offered Catamo a new contract until 2031, extending his current deal by two years. His release clause stands at €60m.

The 25-year-old started the season brilliantly, producing two goals and three assists in his first five appearances. His form subsequently dipped, though, and so did Sporting’s. Results got bad enough to cost Rui Borges his job, which could actually change things for Sunderland.

Borges was a big admirer of Catamo, and the two had a close relationship. So losing him could leave the winger in a rather different position at the club.

In the past few days, multiple reports around Europe confirmed former Lyon boss Paulo Fonseca had agreed to replace Borges. And while there’s no suggestion Fonseca wants Catamo gone, a new manager brings new ideas. The winger will have to see where he fits into those plans.

And there’s one more complication, though. Nestory Irankunda could be away with Australia at the Asian Cup in January, potentially leaving Sporting short of attacking options.

According to A Bola, that possibility, combined with Sunderland’s expected return, could push Sporting into the transfer market themselves.

So there’s quite a bit changing in Lisbon just as Fonte prepares to push for Catamo again. Sunderland may find a different situation from the one they faced last summer, although Sporting’s €40m (£35m) valuation is still a pretty sizeable obstacle.

GENY CATAMO

Club career statistics · All competitions

Season	Club	Apps	Goals	Assists
2018/19	Amora	4	1	0
2021/22	Sporting CP	1	0	0
2021/22	Vitória Guimarães (loan)	10	0	3
2022/23	Marítimo (loan)	11	1	1
2023/24	Sporting CP	41	6	4
2024/25	Sporting CP	48	7	2
2025/26	Sporting CP	47	8	3
2026/27*	Sporting CP	14	3	4
FIRST-TEAM TOTAL SHOWN		176	26	17

Scope: Recorded competitive first-team appearances in Portugal, including domestic cups, the Super Cup, European competitions and relegation play-offs. Excludes youth football, internationals and friendlies. Assists follow Opta’s definition.
Reserve football: Sporting CP B (30 appearances, two goals) and Marítimo B (one appearance, one goal) are excluded. Earlier football in Mozambique is not included in the total shown.
*2026/27: Season ongoing. Includes the match against Casa Pia on 30 October 2026.
Sources:
Opta Analyst,
Wiki Sporting and
Liga Portugal.
Updated: 2 November 2026.

SPORT WITNESS

The post José Fonte pushing for January arrival at Sunderland – Believes it can halt crisis appeared first on Sport Witness.

The 19-year-old’s rise in Sweden has caught the attention of several clubs across the continent. From the UK, Everton, Celtic, Sunderland and Coventry City are his suitors.

He left Ivorian side ASEC Mimosas and joined Häcken in January and has been a regular this year.

Doumbia has mainly operated in his preferred position as a defensive midfielder and also occasionally in the middle of the pitch. He played 2,389 minutes in 28 matches, scoring two goals and contributing three assists.

Everton, Celtic, Sunderland and Coventry City keen

The Turkish media recently discussed Trabzonspor’s desire to sign the player who turned 19 last week.

After relaying this, Africa Foot wastes no time in dismissing the Turkish club as an option for Abdoulaye Doumbia. However, there are other clubs with ‘very real interest’.

This includes Everton, Celtic, Sunderland, Coventry City, Bayer Leverkusen, Paris FC, OGC Nice, RC Lens, SC Freiburg and Club Brugge. These clubs have already sent their scouts to Sweden to watch him live in action for BK Häcken.

With these clubs on transfer mission in Sweden, it shows a growing interest in the young Ivorian. If these suitors and other clubs were to intensify their interest, there could be movements around him as early as January.

ABDOULAYE DOUMBIA

BK Häcken · Allsvenskan 2026

Statistic	2026
League appearances	26
Goals	2
Assists	3
GOAL CONTRIBUTIONS	5

Scope: Allsvenskan matches only. Excludes Swedish Cup fixtures, youth football and friendlies. Goal contributions = goals + assists.
Sources: BK Häcken, Opta career statistics and the IFK Göteborg match record.
Updated: 2 November 2026, including the match against IFK Göteborg on 1 November.

SPORT WITNESS

Already attracted European interest

In April, Sport Witness covered a report from Sweden explaining that Wolverhampton Wanderers set their sights on him. RC Strasbourg, OGC Nice and Stade Rennais had all scouted the player.

Later that month, Abdoulaye Doumbia talked about his dream of joining Liverpool, Real Madrid or Barcelona at some point in the future.

He said: “I like Real Madrid and Barcelona too. I can also imagine playing for clubs like Liverpool. My dream is to play in the best leagues, the biggest tournaments like the Champions League. I want to play with my national team in the World Cup and win trophies.”

A move to Everton, Celtic, Sunderland or Coventry City could help him take the big step to joining a bigger club in the long run. Transfermarkt value Doumbia at €5m, a massive rise from June, when it was €700k.

The post Everton, Celtic and Sunderland want defensive midfielder – Officials travel for transfer appeared first on Sport Witness.

The Black Cats were very keen on the Brazilian winger in the summer, making several attempts to get him from Marseille.

The French club needed big sales to help balance the books and the winger, one of their prized assets, was very much up for sale.

Sunderland pushed to try and get a deal done. Indeed, Sport Witness reported that they were just minutes away from that happening.

A few months on, and things are not great for Paixao. He’s struggling for form and he’s been told directly that he should have joined Sunderland in the summer.

Eyes on January

All eyes are now on the January transfer window. Sport Witness reported this week that the conditions were looking favourable for Sunderland to get a deal done.

They now look slightly more favourable again as his agents have been shutting down potential transfer avenues this week. This particular one was Brazilian club Vasco.

Reports had linked them with a potential move for the winger in the coming months. The channel Detetives Vascaínos reported that the Marseille winger is being monitored.

That led VDG-Cast to reach out to the player’s entourage to clarify his situation. They wanted to know if there was anything to the growing rumour.

But they perhaps didn’t get the response that they wished for. Paixão’s team categorically shut down the Vasco idea for the time being.

“Nothing has come through, and the player has no interest in returning to Brazil,” the representatives declared. That, then, should put an end to the rumour. And be a potential boost to Sunderland.

January move?

Clearly Paixão wants to stay in Europe and with things looking uncomfortable at Marseille, the opportunity is there for the Black Cats.

The question is whether they want to move or can.

After signing Malick Fofana at the end of the window, their need for a winger isn’t as strong as it once was.

And the ones they have, like Chemsdine Talbi, are already questioning their minutes and how they can get in.

If they do move, though, at least they won’t have to compete with any Brazilian clubs for his signature.

The post Sunderland boost as player’s agent rules out move – Transfer off the table appeared first on Sport Witness.

The winger is in his full season with the Sunderland after arriving at the Stadium of Light at the beginning of 2026.

He was, initially, the only Ecuadorian in the dressing room. In fact, he was one of only three Ecuadorian players in the Premier League at that point alongside Moises Caicedo and Piero Hincapie.

The list of Ecuadorians in the Premier League is not exactly extensive either. Antonio Valencia tops that list, making 325 appearances, followed by Caicedo on 155 and counting.

Ecuadorian history

Other names such as Ulises de la Cruz, Pervis Estupinan, Enner Valencia and Jefferson Montero make up the list of players Ecuadorians to have featured in the Premier League since its inception.

18-year-old Juan Riquelme Angulo could add to that collection in future after joining Sunderland at the end of the transfer window from Independiente del Valle. That was a move Nilson Angulo was delighted to see happen.

“It means a lot, leaving Ecuador and the journey I’ve taken—it’s a dream. I always said I wanted to play in the best league, and here I am,” he told ESPN.

“It makes me very happy to see a fellow countryman. I try to help him because I know how difficult it is—I ask him how he’s feeling.”

Teasing

Juan Riquelme has also had to deal with some teasing in the Sunderland dressing room. After all, he shares a name with a very famous Argentinian former footballer.

That didn’t go unnoticed during his first few days at Sunderland.

“We tease him about that name,” concluded Angulo.

“The team’s forwards are all very different types of players; he has many qualities, and his time will come. He already told us that he was named after that player (Juan Román Riquelme).”

The post Sunderland man delighted with summer arrival – No mercy in Black Cats dressing room appeared first on Sport Witness.