Sunderland could be handed a second shot at signing Napoli midfielder Frank Zambo Anguissa as contract renewal talks at the Italian side falter.
Sunderland were reportedly keen on the 30-year-old in the summer as they sought a Granit Xhaka like signing for their midfield.
Sport Witness covered their interest across the summer. A report in the middle of August explained that the Black Cats had made a bid for the Napoli midfielder.
A week later it was reported that Anguissa was on the verge of a move to the Stadium of Light. Ultimately, though, that did not end up happening. Anguissa remained in Naples, where he’s been in and out of the team this season.
But that has not put the question of his future to bed. The midfielder’s current deal expires in 2027, meaning the issue has become a pressing one.
Contract problems
Tuttomercatoweb now report that there is a ‘wide gap’ between what the midfielder wants and what Napoli are willing to offer.
The Napoli midfielder is currently seeking €6m per season over four years. But the club’s offer is significantly lower than that amount. They would instead prefer to extend Anguissa to 2028 on €4m. per year.
Thus, the two parties are far apart in their ideas for now. Napoli certainly don’t like the idea of paying what would be €6m per year, roughly €8m gross, over four years given it would amount to €32m in total.
January offers
Thus, they could look to evaluate offers as early as January instead. Any sale now would result in a near-total capital gain for the Italian club. It would also end the risk of them missing out on anything should he sign a pre-contract agreement in January.
TWM make no mention of Sunderland being interested at this point. They instead hint at potential interest from the likes of Juventus and Türkiye. The former is unlikely as President Aurelio de Laurentiis would be highly reluctant to sell to a direct rival.
That could give Sunderland an edge if they wanted to revive their interest from the summer. The possibility is there either way. Napoli are now looking towards January as a solution as contract talks go nowhere.
