Sunderland’s social media post on Saturday night offers a clue on Wilson Isidor’s future as £25m speculation continues to swirl
Sunderland have dropped a fresh social media hint amid growing speculation over Wilson Isidor’s future, as reports continue to link the forward with a potential £25million move away from Wearside.
The Black Cats posted images on Saturday night showing Isidor alongside teammates Chris Rigg and Romaine Mundle in Newcastle, where they were pictured with newly crowned boxing world champion Josh Kelly following his title win. The post appeared to underline that Isidor remains fully embedded within the group, despite mounting transfer talk, and suggested that any potential move is not yet close to completion.
Reports in France have claimed that Beşiktaş have identified Isidor as one of several forwards under consideration and have begun exploratory discussions. At this stage, however, there has been no indication that Sunderland would be open to an approach, nor any clarity over the type of offer that could be forthcoming. Isidor is understood to be valued at around £25million, with Everton, Aston Villa and Napoli also linked.
Given Sunderland’s current league position and the limited time remaining in the transfer window, any deal would appear unlikely unless a significant proposal were to arrive. Isidor remains under contract until June 2028, having joined permanently from Zenit Saint Petersburg last January following an initial loan spell. The French forward has made 21 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring four goals, and continues to feature in Régis Le Bris’ attacking plans. However, he has not found the net since October and has recently been displaced in the starting XI by Brian Brobbey, with competition also coming from Eliezer Mayenda.
It is within that context that Le Bris confirmed he has held open and ongoing discussions with Isidor regarding his role at the Stadium of Light. “For Wilson, I've had many conversations with him and his agent recently. He's a really good player, important for us, did really well in the past and for sure in the future as well,” Le Bris said.
“We still have momentum, and I think for Sunderland at the minute it's really positive to have Brian in good form. And two strikers, Eli [Mayenda] and Wilson, ready to go. It's normal to have some difficult periods because they are still young, new in the league. So I don't know if it's possible to sustain the level for a whole season in this league. So it's just normal to have different periods.”
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Le Bris also acknowledged Isidor’s frustration at his current situation, but insisted it forms part of the development process. “Yes, sure [he is frustrated at the moment], which I think is acceptable, it's not new in professional life,” he added. “I think you have to accept good and bad periods. I think if we compare with last season, he had more or less this dynamic. He started well, then struggled a bit.
“And then went back at the end of the season, so he's learning, we are here to support him, to challenge him, so now the connection is really good, really positive, really open, so I can explain what I expect from him, he can give me feedback about the set-up, what he finds difficult to get better, so I think this connection is really positive, even if he struggles a bit at the minute.”
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