Sunderland are looking to make a number of new additions to their squad ahead of the new season
Leicester City's attacking midfielder Bilal El Khanouss is emerging as a potential transfer option for Sunderland in the summer transfer window.
According to L'Equipe, the 21-year-old has interest from West Ham United and Ligue 1 side Monaco should the latter lose any of their forward players in the window. L'Equipe say that Sunderland are currently leading the race and that the club's new director of football Florent Ghisolfi is leading the pursuit.
El Khanouss is primarily an attacking midfielder but can also operate in a deeper position and also off the left wing. They're positions in which Sunderland have already recruited significantly this summer but the work to strengthen the depth and quality of the squad is ongoing as the club prepare to return to the Premier League.
El Khanouss signed for Leicester City last summer from Belgian Pro League side Genk, and made 32 Premier League appearances last season. He is a Moroccan international with over 20 caps, and reportedly cost the Foxes around £21 million when they signed him last summer. He currently has three years left to run on his contract at Leicester, who are currently in a period of transition following their relegation back to the Championship. Following the departure of Ruud van Nistelrooy, former QPR boss Marti Cifuentes is believed to be close to being appointed as he club's new boss.
El Khanouss has been involved in pre-season so far with the club, featuring in a pre-season friendly against Belgian side OH Leuven over the weekend.
Sunderland are also monitoring Fiorentina midfielder Amir Richardson, according to a report from Italian newspaper La Repubblica. Richardson joined La Viola from Reims last season for a fee in the region of €10 million last summer, and his future at the club is said to be uncertain. Brentford have also been monitoring his situation but it is reported that new Fiorentina boss Stefano Pioli would like to assess him more closely before making a decision on his future.
Sunderland are meanwhile set to miss out on the signing of Chelsea goalkeeper Djorde Petrovic, who is now on the brink of a move to Bournemouth. According to various sources, Petrovic has opted to join the Cherries and will undergo a medical on Monday.
Kristjaan Speakman's Sunderland transfer update
Speaking to Sky Sports last week, Sunderland's sporting director Kristjaan Speakman confirmed that the club still wanted to make 'several' additions to their squad this summer but said they would be patient in ensuring they land the right targets after a busy start to the window.
"We've still got several more players that we need to acquire in certain areas of the pitch," Speakman said.
"I'll leave that a little bit loose for you but we have to try to find the right players. We've never been knee-jerk in our decision making. We'll try to be calm, but it's the balance of being calm, waiting and trying to find [players]. Also knowing that you've got the right ones and being decisive.
"Momentum is important. We want to make sure we can start well. We knew that we had three or four players that we felt were the right ones and we've tried to do them. I think that just shows the ambition of the ownership and the direction of the club."
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