Spurs have been linked with a move for Sunderland defender Dennis Cirkin
The 23-year-old signed for the Black Cats from Spurs back in 2021, and has since gone on to establish himself as a key figure on Wearside, helping his side to two promotions and registering 116 appearances in red and white across all competitions.
Indeed, it would appear that Cirkin’s performances in the North East have been enough to catch the eye of his former employers, with reports emerging in recent days suggesting that Spurs could look to table a bid for the left-back this summer.
According to Football.London journalist Alasdair Gold, Cirkin is being considered as a cost-effective option, and is a tempting target due to the fact that he has just one year left on his current contract. Gold wrote recently: “Spurs have looked at the past in bringing back 23-year-old left-back Dennis Cirkin, who has impressed at Sunderland. He made 39 appearances this season as the Black Cats returned to the Premier League through the play-offs, and he has 12 months remaining on his contract.”
What has been said about Sunderland’s valuation of Dennis Cirkin?
For their part, Spurs did have a buy-back clause written into their initial transfer agreement with Sunderland that would have allowed them to re-sign Cirkin for around £6 million. That option expire last June, however, and as a consequence, Bryan King - who used to work as a scout for the Europa League champions - believes that the club will now have to pay considerably more if they are to lure their academy graduate back to North London.
Speaking to Tottenham Hotspur News, he said: “Cirkin is still only 23 years old. Therefore, it would probably take a bid of about £20m for Sunderland to accept. I know they need to address this issue, but they’re linked with Kyle Walker-Peters as well.
“Tottenham don’t want to sign too many players in that position because they’ve already got quite a bit of coverage in the full-back areas. If Tottenham can bring through some Under-21 players to address that issue, that would be a much cheaper option than going out and buying a player like Cirkin. I wouldn’t think Sunderland would be too happy about it either.”
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What has Kristjaan Speakman said about Dennis Cirkin’s contract?
Sunderland are expected to reopen contract negotiations with both Cirkin and captain Dan Neil in the coming weeks, following a pause in talks during the club’s push for promotion.
“We do a contract review right across the group at the end of every season,” sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said recently. “I think we're in a strong position with the majority of the group this time around, especially with a lot of the players who have performed at a really high level.”
“There are a couple there whose contracts are reducing, and we need to have a conversation around that, and that will happen in the coming weeks. That's part of trying to build the squad for next season. We don't have anyone out of contract this summer and so that means there isn't an immediate issue for us. We have a little bit of time to reflect. As I always say, it's got to be the right opportunity for the players and for us.”
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