‘Mepham future clear’ as Sunderland look to beat Nottingham Forest to £6.8m deal
Sunderland are looking to bolster their defensive options ahead of the Premier League campaign.
Aside from the arrival of Enzo Le Fee, Sunderland’s transfer activity has been rather slow in the opening stages of the summer transfer window.
With just under two months to go until the Black Cats host West Ham in the season opener, Regis Le Bris will be hoping his side can inject some fresh quality into the squad across several areas of the pitch.
Attacking signings will be high up on their list of priorities, amid links to Vladyslav Vanat, but the latest update suggests a new centre-back arrival could be on the cards.
Serie A defender on Sunderland radar
With Chris Mepham’s return to Bournemouth, his future has been somewhat up in the air, with it claimed that the Black Cats still hold an interest in signing him permanently.
However, via a report from On The Minute (21 June), the Black Cats have been linked with a move for Empoli’s 20-year-old defender Saba Goglichidze, who could leave for around £6.8million this summer.
| Empoli | Games | Duels won | Tackles won |
| Goglichidze | 33 | 130 | 37 |
Nottingham Forest are also said to have expressed an interest in signing the Georgian centre-back, who had an excellent campaign in the Italian top flight.
Now, with Sunderland seemingly looking at signing him, there is an argument to be made that they have moved on from any interest in Mepham, whose future is looking increasingly unlikely to be on Wearside.
Sunderland must explore European market
Shopping for players in England simply isn’t feasible anymore for clubs trying to bridge the gap on the sides above them, with prices massively inflated.
Instead, the Black Cats need to use the European market to their advantage to secure bargain deals, and the appointment of Florent Ghisolfi will only aid that.
Sunderland will be hoping that deals can start progressing, with pre-season edging even closer.
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