Sunderland jump in to seal next transfer as Celtic talks collapse
Sunderland are close to making their first January signing at Celtic’s expense.
As the Premier League season progresses past the halfway point, Sunderland have been linked with multiple players but have yet to bring anyone through the door this month.
Conversely, promising Sunderland youngster Trey Ogunsuyi returned from his Falkirk loan before heading out to Shrewsbury Town for the second half of the season.
Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland spent more than £160million on transfers last summer, but as yet the deal sheets for incomings have not flown in January 2026.
It seems Sunderland won’t be moving for Bologna star Jhon Lucumi this month, despite trying to sign him at the start of the season.
However, they appear to be closing in on a 20-year-old prospect from Israeli side Maccabi Netanya.
Sunderland eye deal after Celtic transfer collapses
Earlier this month, Celtic seemed primed to sign winger Jocelin Ta Bi, who has been on loan at Hapoel Petah Tikva, for a fee in the region of £2.6million.
The Scottish side’s medical staff are said to have made the trip to Israel to get the deal across the line, but reports in France suggest that transfer has fallen through.
According to Foot Mercato, although the Celtic deal “unexpectedly failed”, Sunderland are now in a “very good” position to recruit Ta Bi.
The report adds Sunderland are “close” to sealing his arrival after “falling under the spell” of the Ivorian’s abilities.
Ta Bi helped Tikva return to the Israeli top flight last season after scoring five goals and bagging three assists. This term, he has four goal contributions in 12 appearances for them.
Sunderland break records on and off the pitch
When Sunderland earned promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs last year, few expected them to survive in the top-flight.
On the contrary, the Black Cats have flourished, with Le Bris’ side currently sitting 10th in the table.
The gamble of spending more than £160m – the biggest amount spent by a promoted side in Premier League history – has paid off, with Sunderland currently 16 points clear of the relegation zone.
| Sunderland’s big-money transfers | Transfer fees |
| Habib Diarra from Strasbourg | £30m |
| Brian Brobbey from Ajax | £21.3m |
| Simon Adingra from Brighton | £21m |
| Enzo Le Fee from Roma | £19.3m |
| Chemsdine Talbi from Club Brugge | £18m |
At a time when transfer fees are becoming more and more exorbitant, the relatively modest fee of £13m for Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen takes some beating.
And on the pitch, Sunderland achieved the best nine-game start by a promoted club since 2008 after picking up 17 points at the start of the campaign. Whether they can keep it up, though, remains to be seen.
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