Two days ago, Bologna CEO Cristiano Fenucci publicly acknowledged Sunderland are exerting pressure to sign Jhon Lucumí before the window closes on Monday. He also said his side won’t let the centre-back leave unless a replacement is secured.
The Serie A side sealed a 1-0 win over Como on Saturday, and the defender came off the bench after the break.
Prior to the kick-off DAZN in Italy interviewed Bologna sporting director Marco Di Vaio and 1000 Cuori Rossoblu relayed his comments.
“The boy trained all week after an injury he had at the beginning of the week: he did it professionally. From a technical standpoint, he does what he has to do, he trains with care and respect. Our position is the same, it hasn’t changed, and we don’t want to talk about it anymore,” he said.
Sunday’s edition of Corriere dello Sport reports Sunderland are running out of time to sign the 27-year-old. He’s keen on joining the Black Cats, but it’s not given that this move will go through.
Di Vaio and Bologna director Giovanni Sartori are looking for a new centre-back. Corriere report the Italian club haven’t made advances yet and even if they were to find the right target, it could be difficult for them to close the operation before deadline.
AS Monaco’s Mohammed Salisu and Nottingham Forest’s Morato have been identified as targets. The newspaper reports the former isn’t willing to take a pay cut, while the Brazilian’s price is too high for Bologna.
