Sunderland surge into race for £33m Brighton target with same agent as Trai Hume

Sunderland have now entered contention to sign a new central midfielder, despite retaining captain Granit Xhaka during the summer transfer window.

The captain was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea, but ultimately ended up staying put, which may be a decision he ends up regretting, given that his side are currently bottom of the Premier League table.

REUTERS/Scott Heppell

The 3-1 defeat against newly-promoted Coventry City last time out is likely to be particularly concerning, with the Switzerland international bemoaning the fact the Black Cats keep making the same mistakes week in week out.

As things stand, Regis Le Bris‘ side are only two points from safety, and there is still plenty of time to turn things around, and Xhaka has stressed the importance of unity between the players and fans, saying: “When something is going bad, we can see who is on the board and who is not. We need everyone, we need ourselves, we need the teammates, we need the staff, the fans, we need the support.

“I’m sure, and I believe a lot, that we can bounce back, but we need to stop the mistakes that we are doing at the moment.”

However, if the current group of players are unable to put things right, some new additions may be needed during the January transfer window, and a central midfielder has now emerged as a target.

Sunderland enter contention to sign Stefan Dzodic

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Sunderland have now entered the race to sign Almeria midfielder Stefan Dzodic, who is attracting widespread interest, with Atletico Madrid, AFC Bournemouth, Brentford and Brighton also keen.

In fact, Atletico are now pushing to sign the Serbian, and they are the frontrunners to secure his signature, having already opened talks with his agents, but a move to the Premier League is still a possibility.

Considering the 21-year-old plays in the second tier of Spanish football, a deal may be on the expensive side, as there is a £33m release clause included in his Almeria contract.

The Montpellier-born maestro, who interestingly is represented by the same agency as Trai Hume, is particularly strong from a defensive point of view, with an average of 2.0 interceptions in the La Liga 2 this season placing him first in the Almeria squad.

The youngster has also picked up three goals and three assists in 47 matches for the Spanish side, but there are doubts over whether he is the type of signing the Black Cats need to make at this time.

With a relegation battle looking increasingly likely, Sunderland may need to make a January signing capable of making an instant impact, and Dzodic’s top-level experience is limited, making just seven Ligue 1 appearances for Montpellier before joining Almeria.