Jhon Lucumi axed by Bologna after huge Sunderland bid, ‘sheer madness’ in Italy

Sunderland look to be closing in on a deadline-busting move for Bologna defender Jhon Lucumi.

It’s been a busy summer at the Stadium of Light, with Sunderland completing 12 signings since they won promotion back to the Premier League.

Regis Le Bris‘ men have made a flying start to life back in the top-flight too, with Sunderland’s 2-1 win over Brentford on Saturday taking them up to sixth in the table.

The Wearsiders have completed a lot of deals over the last few months but they do not look finished yet, with a deal for Colombia centre-back Lucumi still firmly on the cards.

Jhon Lucumi playing for Bologna in their training kit.
Credit: Imago

Jhon Lucumi makes do as a substitute in Bologna win vs Como

Bologna manager Vincenzo Italiano was furious with speculation surrounding Lucumi’s future after their opening-day defeat to Roma in Serie A.

The 27-year-old Sunderland target committed a defensive error that allowed Roma to score the match-winning goal, leading to Italiano exploding after full-time.

Stats vs Como
Clearances6
Blocked shots1
Interceptions1
Tackles0
Ground duels (won)1 (0)
Aerial duels (won)3 (1)
Fouls1
Passes completed 9/13
Lucumi did well defensively versus Como after coming off the bench at half-time.

“I think it’s sheer madness that the transfer market is open when Serie A matches are already on,” Italiano told Sky Sport Italia when talking about Lucumi’s mistake.

Lucumi did play on Saturday in Bologna’s Serie A win over Como.

However, he had to come off the bench as a second-half substitute to see out the clean sheet as he was replaced in the starting line-up by Bologna’s new signing Torbjorn Heggem.

Sunderland’s latest bid for Jhon Lucumi explained

With Dan Ballard injured, Le Bris needs to add to his defence before the summer transfer window closes.

There are clearly funds to spend, with Sunderland reportedly bidding £24million for Lucumi earlier this week.

If a deal were to go through at that price, Lucumi would become the most expensive defender in Sunderland’s history.

However, claims from Italy and the UK media have always suggested that Bologna do not want to sell the former Genk centre-back.

There are various reasons why he didn’t start against Como. Italiano might have axed him due to his horror show against Roma, which would have been fair. However, his spot on the bench could have been down to speculation affecting him or that Bologna were planning on keeping him fit in case a sale did happen.

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