Sunderland have been credited with an interest in Sassuolo winger Armand Laurienté
Sunderland have enquired about the availability of Sassuolo winger Armand Laurienté, according to reports.
The Frenchman enjoyed a stellar campaign in Serie B last season, scoring 18 goals and assisting six more across 33 league outings. For their part, the Black Cats are understood to be keen to bolster their attacking options ahead of a long-awaited return to the Premier League next term.
And with that in mind, ESPN suggest that talks are underway over a potential swoop for Laurienté, with the prospect of an exit from his current employers not out of the question.
What has been said about Sunderland’s interest in Armand Laurienté?
According to this latest update, Sunderland have already “made contact” with Sassuolo regarding Laurienté’s availability this summer. Despite being newly-promoted themselves, it is suggested that the Italian outfit are “open to offers” and “would not rule out his exit”.
Laurienté joined Sassuolo from Regis Le Bris’ former club, FC Lorient, in 2022, and has since gone on to register 31 goals and 18 assists across 102 appearances in all competitions. Prior to his time with Lorient, he began his senior career with Stade Rennais, as well as enjoying a loan stint at US Orleans. The 26-year-old predominantly operates as a left winger, but is also capable of playing on the opposite flank or through the centre of an attacking trio.
What has Kristjaan Speakman said about Sunderland transfer plans?
Speaking at the Foundation of Light's annual fixture breakfast last week, Sunderland's sporting director Kristjaan Speakman confirmed that he had been abroad in the days previous to meet with potential transfer recruits.
He 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 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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