Last summer, Sunderland were keen on signing Bologna’s Jhon Lucumí, and he wanted to join the Premier League club.
The Black Cats weren’t able to secure his services as the Serie A stood firm. The summer disappointment doesn’t seem to have them off as Sunderland scouted him when Bologna faced Aston Villa last month.
Sunderland director Florent Ghisolfi led their attempt to sign Lucumí in the last window. Quotidiano Sportivo points it out they were willing to pay €30m plus €3m per year deal to the defender.
His contract expires in 2027 and currently earns €800,000 per year. The Italian club want to tie him down to a new contract and have made an offer worth €1.5m net annually.
Bologna manager Vincenzo Italiano made several changes to his defence and now wants the 27-year-old to take charge of the backline. Their technical director, Giovanni Sartori, and sporting director, Marco Di Vaio, are also working behind the scenes.
The renewal proposal is on the table but he’s in no rush. In recent days, the Serie A club contacted Lucumí’s agent Simone Rondanini. He lives in Spain and is set for a face-to-face meeting upon his arrival in Italy. The report state there’s no date fixed for now.
This is ‘not a good sign’ for Bologna, also considering Sunderland scouted the Colombian in September. It’s claimed Régis Le Bris’ side ‘could try again in January’ to sign him and the ‘door isn’t completely closed yet’.
Lucumí’s contract situation currently favours Sunderland. If things don’t change until the winter market, they could make a fresh attempt to sign him.
