Sunderland continue to be linked with a move for Habib Diarra
Strasbourg president Marc Keller has admitted that reported Sunderland transfer target Habib Diarra could leave the club this summer due to a “promise” he made to the midfielder back in 2023.
The Senegalese international has found himself at the centre of widespread speculation in recent days, with a host of Premier League clubs understood to be monitoring his situation in France. Alongside Sunderland, Premier League rivals Leeds United, Bournemouth, and Fulham are also said to be keen on the 21-year-old.
Indeed, of the trio, it has been widely reported that Leeds have already submitted a bid of around £18.7 million for Diarra, with Sky Sports stating that as of Tuesday, talks were still ongoing over a prospective agreement.
However, in a separate update, transfer insider Ben Jacobs stated that the Whites are still some way off sealing an agreement for the player, with a transfer increasingly in doubt. Writing on X, he said: “Understand Habib Diarra’s potential move to Leeds is looking unlikely at this stage. Leeds put in a bid to Strasbourg last week, but there are issues in negotiations with player side that need resolving if anything is to progress.”
What has been said about Habib Diarra’s transfer future?
But while the prospect of a move to Elland Road may have grown fainter, Strasbourg chief Keller has revealed that an exit for Diarra could still very much be on the cards this summer.
Speaking on RMC's After Foot show on Monday, the president suggested that a suitable offer will likely lead to the player’s departure over the coming weeks. He said: "There's one player who's due to leave based on a promise I made to him two years ago: our captain, Habib Diarra. When he extended his contract, we told him he was extending it, but that he wouldn't leave until June 2025. So if we get an interesting offer for him and for us, he could leave."
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What has Kristjaan Speakman said about Sunderland’s transfer plans this summer?
Addressing Sunderland’s transfer hopes moving forward, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said: "From a club's perspective, we're not naive to what the Premier League is. We understand that our strategy to get here is going to be a different to what is required to stay here. Our objective has never just been to get to the Premier League, it's such a landmark and naturally everyone talks about that but internally over the last two, three, four years it's always been about re-establishing ourselves.
“So what we need to do now is go on the next part of that journey, and think about establishing ourselves over the next three or four years [at Premier League level] and hopefully build to a point where he can be involved towards the top end of the league which is ultimately where we all want to be. We're trying to recruit players for that. I've spent the last three days in three different countries, speaking with players and agents. I landed back here at about 2am last night, so the work behind the scenes is up and running and has been for a number of weeks."
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