Sunderland’s ‘important’ summer signing open to exit as Standard de Liege eye January transfer
Standard de Liege have set their sights on one of Sunderland’s fringe players.
The January transfer window has provided very little from an incoming point of view, though several Sunderland stars have already been linked with exits.
Scottish Premiership outfit Rangers have been credited with an interest in Dan Neil and Romaine Mundle, while forgotten midfielder Jay Matete formalised his permanent exit to MK Dons.
However, there are still more outgoings expected in the coming weeks, and one of those who only arrived in the summer window has already opened the door to an exit.
Arthur Masuaku already in line for Sunderland exit
On the face of it, Arthur Masuaku was a smart signing for Sunderland.
He arrived on a free from Besiktas off the back of an excellent campaign in Turkey, and added Premier League experience to a backline that lacked it.
However, his time on Wearside has been far from a fairytale, with a report from Sacha Tavolieri stating that Standard de Liege have placed the DR Congo international on their shortlist.
Masuaku is said to be open to an exit from Sunderland, having played just 127 minutes of Premier League football so far this season.
The 32-year-old has only just returned from AFCON duty alongside Noah Sadiki, and it remains to be seen whether he is involved when Sunderland face Everton in the FA Cup on Saturday.
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Regis Le Bris has already discussed Arthur Masuaku’s future
Masuaku was linked with an exit from Sunderland before he jetted off to AFCON, with it looking as though a return to Turkey could have been on the cards.
Le Bris remained somewhat tight-lipped on the future of the 32-year-old when those links emerged, though he insisted that the door could be opened in January.
In December, he said: “It’s probably the most competitive part of our squad, the backline, with many good players.
“He’s still important for us. We had a conversation just before the AFCON, and we agreed that in this transfer window, we’ll have an opportunity to discuss [his future]. But it doesn’t mean he will leave; we still have to be aligned.“
With Dennis Cirkin having impressed on his return to Sunderland, Masuaku would be third-choice at best, making an exit seem more of a when as opposed to an if.