Credit: Imago

Josh Edwards

Sun 20 July 2025 17:32, UK

Sunderland looked set to sign Armand Lauriente until a last-minute change.

So far, Sunderland have seen six new arrivals check in at the Stadium of Light, and all of the signs were pointing towards Lauriente becoming the seventh.

A £17million deal was agreed with Sassuolo for the Frenchman, who has previously worked under Regis Le Bris, with the winger even jetting off to Portugal to meet up with the Black Cats’ squad.

However, news emerged this morning that the deal with Sunderland had fallen through, with the finer details now emerging.

Sunderland withdraw from Lauriente deal

With the arrivals of Chemsdien Talbi and Simon Adingra, the Wearsiders have already bolstered their attacking lineup ahead of their return to the Premier League.

Lauriente could have been the final piece to the puzzle, but a report from talkSPORT (20 July) states that the deal fell through because of personal terms.

There is said to have been a “late dispute” between the parties, with some suggesting that it may have something to do with the injury sustained by Romaine Mundle.

However, this deal now appears to be dead in the water, with the Black Cats now expected to pursue other attacking targets.

Sunderland not prepared to be pushed around

Sunderland of old would have signed off on this deal and suffered the consequences at a later date, though things have changed for the better.

Under the current regime, the Wearsiders have shown that they won’t be forced into decisions, and everything will be done on their own terms.

Kristjaan Speakman and co deserve a lot of credit for the way they have handled recruitment this summer, with a lot of work still to be done.

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