Sunderland could starting to close in on their second deal of the summer transfer window
Sunderland are in talks with OGC Nice for the transfer of goalkeeper Marcin Bulka.
Though reports earlier today that a deal has been agreed are understood to be premature, there is a growing belief that Sunderland can reach an agreement. As reported by transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, the player is open to the move. Bulka is well known to Sunderland’s incoming director of football Florent Ghisolfi, who worked with him during his spell as sporting director at the Ligue 1 club.
As per Sky Sports, the two clubs are still in negotiations as of Friday afternoon. While OGC Nice have set an asking price of around €20 million, talks are ongoing to see if a deal can be struck. Bulka’s arrival could transpire to be a new club record deal, eclipsing the fee spent earlier this summer to turn Enzo Le Fée’s loan from AS Roma into a permanent deal. Le Fée will officially become a Sunderland player on July 1st.
The move represents Sunderland’s ambition in the transfer market this summer, with the club determined to invest sensibly but significantly ahead of their return to the Premier League. They have been stepping up their recruitment drive in recent days, with Dynamo Kyiv striker Vladyslav Vanat and Sassuolo forward Armand Laurienté potential targets.
What Kristjaan Speakman has said about Sunderland’s transfer plans this summer
Speaking shortly after Sunderland’s promotion to the Premier League, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said the club understood they would have to recruit significant quality this summer.
“In our context, from a footballing perspective, you're moving up two or three leagues really in terms of the level,” he said.
“So we need to make sure that we have the right level of player in the team, with the right game experience. We're acutely aware of that, we want to retain our principles and values, but sometimes of course you have to tweak the needle a little bit. We feel we've got loads of talented players and it's on them to come back for pre-season in the best condition possible to be able to play Premier League football, and our challenge is to then build the right balance from there. We'll obviously be signing new players into the team, to ensure that we have a Premier League team that can be competitive.”
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