Sunderland’s summer signing lined up for early January exit despite AFCON blow
Sunderland have 14 new players in their squad this season, one of whom could already be on his way out.
Sunderland face Man City on New Year’s Day, but plenty of attention will have already been diverted towards the January transfer window.
The Black Cats may well be safe from relegation already, but will be looking to reinforce their squad further to ensure that they reach that 40-point mark sooner rather than later.
However, Sunderland will also look to cut ties with several players given the size of their squad, and one of those who only arrived in the summer could be one of them.
Arthur Masuaku offered to Super Lig club
Arthur Masuaku joined Sunderland on a free in the summer, and given his experience, it was a deal that raised very few eyebrows.
However, the DR Congo international has hardly featured for the Wearsiders, and when he has, he’s looked far from convincing.
Masuaku suffered an injury on AFCON duty, though that is not expected to be severe enough to prevent a January exit, with a move to Trabzonspor on the cards.
That is according to a report from Eniyihaberler, which claims that he has been offered to the Turkish outfit via agents.
His future at the Stadium of Light is expected to become clear in the “coming days”, with an early departure looking likely for the former West Ham defender.
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Sunderland have another transfer priority to add to the list
Sunderland were without six first-team players for their draw with Leeds, but only two of them were defensive.
And yet the lack of depth in that area was exposed, with Dennis Cirkin forced to fill in at left-back in the absence of Reinildo and Dan Ballard.
However, with Masuaku seemingly set for an exit, it leaves the Black Cats very short on numbers at the back and just one or two injuries away from a big reshuffle.
Sunderland are likely to prioritise attacking signings in January, though cover at full-back is now starting to look like one of their priorities.
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