Throughout August, Sunderland were in a tussle with Bologna to sign Jhon Lucumi.
There was also the lingering threat of a legal battle ensuing between the defender and the Italian club but despite the Colombian’s intentions about a move to the Stadium of Light, he stayed at Bologna.
Sunderland put an offer on the table for the centre-back, and the player’s agent publicly revealed the player’s desire to move.
Now that the drama has settled, Bologna legend Renato Villa has spoken to Quotidiano Sportivo about Lucumi.
He made it clear that even if the defender’s valuation will now reduce because his contract expires in 2027, Bologna will have been prepared for that.
Speaking from a tactical perspective, Villa said: “For me, but especially for Bologna, from a technical standpoint, it’s excellent news. The Vitik-Heggem pairing, if you’re facing fast attackers, can be an unknown quantity because neither of them is fast. Lucumi, on the other hand, is, and if you put him next to either of them, you get a very well-matched pairing.”
When asked to elaborate on Lucumi’s situation at Bologna, Villa said:
“Selling him now would have brought in €25m, while if you sell him in January you’ll only get €10m. It’s an evaluation the club will surely have made, weighing up the technical and financial factors.”
There have been suggestions from 1000CuoriRossoblu that the Italian side could soon look to hand the 27-year-old a new contract, with the player having received a warm appreciation from the club’s fans when he came on against Como at the weekend.
It can now be presumed that Sunderland have moved away from Lucumi, having signed Lutsharel Geertruida on loan from RB Leipzig.
The South American could have been quite a coup for Regis Le Bris’ side. He helped Bologna qualify for the Champions League in the 2023/24 campaign, playing a part in their Coppa Italia win last season.