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Newcastle United and Aston Villa have joined Sunderland with interest in signing SS Lazio midfielder Mateo Guendouzi, with the former Arsenal player having a €50m release clause.

We covered reports four days ago which stated Sunderland had initiated contact to sign Guendouzi, who played under Regis Le Bris during his time at FC Lorient.

Guendouzi played 48 times for Il Biancocelesti last season, with six appearances for the French national team in the Nations League. Lazio reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League which ended in an upset against Norwegian side FK Bødo/Glimt.

In domestic competitions, Lazio earned a UEFA Europa Conference invitation as they finished 7th in Serie A as well as another quarter-final exit in the Coppa Italia, losing to Inter Milan.

The Frenchman, for better or worse, was a key player in all of that.

Il Messaggero report Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Sunderland are all keen on Guendouzi, which has made Lazio fans uneasy.

There’s hope no tempting offers will arrive, and manager Maurizio Sarri isn’t keen on losing the player either.

Sunderland have just signed Habib Diarra from Strasbourg for a big fee, which would make their interest questionable. Newcastle United and Aston Villa have been linked previously, and it’s often felt like transfer hype to improve the perception of the player.