Sunderland continue to monitor André Luiz closely as his situation develops. The Championship club have tracked the Rio Ave winger for some time. However, the market around the 23-year-old has shifted again in Portugal.
Portuguese outlets now report that decisive moves have come from elsewhere. Rio Ave are holding firm on a €20m (£17.2m) valuation. Owner Evangelos Marinakis is driving that stance, with his Nottingham Forest and Olympiacos connections mentioned.
The firm position has already complicated talks with Benfica. It has also kept other interested sides at a distance. According to A Bola, the Lisbon club’s interest sits at the highest level.
The newspaper state that André Luiz is a personal target of José Mourinho. Even so, negotiations remain unresolved because of Rio Ave’s financial demands.
For Sunderland, this underlines the scale of the challenge. Patience alone may not be enough in a race where the seller controls the leverage. André Luiz remains under contract until June 2029 and continues to train normally while talks continue.
Former coach backs European step
Away from the negotiations, recent comments support the idea that the winger is ready for a bigger stage. Speaking to O Jogo, is former coach Sergio Vieira offered a detailed assessment of his development.
“He is a player with very unbalancing technical quality, with short dribbling, combined with explosion and speed. He is very quick. These are his main weapons, along with his finishing ability. He worked a lot to refine his finishing, and he has that capacity,” Vieira said.
Sunderland will have lingering Nottingham Forest worry
The coach then framed André Luiz as ready for elite football. “At the moment, he is one of the best players in our league. He is highly prepared to arrive at a big club, in Portugal or in Europe. He is an excellent kid, very ambitious,” he added.
Vieira also highlighted physical growth. “This year he has shown sequences of 90 minutes at a high level. At the beginning, he was not always a starter and often came off early. Physically, I believe he is now ready.”
For Sunderland, those words underline the appeal. André Luiz increasingly looks prepared for European football. The remaining question is whether Marinakis’ €20m (£17.2m) stance allows that move to happen.
In addition, there’s always the worry of Marinakis just deciding to send the player to Nottingham Forest.
