Sunderland may have been handed a chance to get summer target Jhon Lucumí in the January transfer window.
That’s at least according to the latest from Tuttomercatoweb. They report that the defender is currently in a ‘stalemate’ with the Bologna over a contract renewal.
They explain that after being one of the ‘great summer soap operas’ for the Italian club, the story isn’t over yet.
Lucumí spent the summer looking at offers and considering his future. Sunderland were one of those who were keen on him and made a ‘very serious’ proposal at the end of August. Bologna rejected that proposal as they’d already seen two key players leave and didn’t want the defender to follow them.
The problem for them is that Lucumí’s current deal runs until June 2027. That means they risk him entering the final year of his deal by next summer. That’s a dangerous situation for them to be in.
They’re trying to get him signed to a new deal, but negotiations have hit a ‘stalemate’. The feeling is that there won’t be progress on that front.
TMW do say that it is ‘unlikely’ Bologna will want to sell in January given they’re competing at the top of the table. But it still could be worth Sunderland trying their arm anyway.
Afterall, Bologna are very unlikely to want to head into next summer with Lucumí sitting on just another year. They certainly won’t get offers like the one Sunderland made this summer if they do.
