Sunderland are reportedly closing in on the signing of Paris Saint-Germain defender Nordi Mukiele as Régis Le Bris looks to further strengthen his squad ahead of the Premier League opener against West Ham United.
According to report, the Black Cats have offered around £12million for the versatile French defender, who spent last season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen. The deal, if completed, would push Sunderland’s summer spending close to £150million.
Mukiele, 27, struggled for minutes in Luis Enrique’s PSG squad and made just 15 Bundesliga appearances during his stint at Leverkusen. Despite that, he boasts significant experience at the highest level, having played in the Champions League and across Europe’s top divisions. The move would reunite Mukiele with his former Leverkusen teammate Granit Xhaka, who joined Sunderland earlier this summer and has already been handed the captain’s armband.
TalkSPORT report that Le Bris identified Mukiele as a key defensive target due to his ability to play both at right-back and centre-back, offering Sunderland valuable flexibility as they prepare for their first top-flight campaign since 2016-17.
Since breaking through at Montpellier, Mukiele has enjoyed spells with RB Leipzig – where he lifted the German Cup – and PSG, where he won two Ligue 1 titles. He has represented France at youth level and made one senior international appearance.
His arrival would add to a lengthy list of high-profile summer signings on Wearside, with Sunderland also securing former Arsenal captain Xhaka, Brighton winger Simon Adingra, and Strasbourg midfielder Habib Diarra. The club had also considered a move for ex-captain Jordan Henderson before he opted to join Brentford. Whether Mukiele is registered in time to face West Ham at the Stadium of Light remains to be seen, though reports suggest Sunderland are pushing to finalise the deal swiftly.
Le Bris’ side secured their place back in the Premier League thanks to a dramatic 2-1 play-off victory over Sheffield United at Wembley in May and have since embarked on a record-breaking summer of investment in the squad.
What other Sunderland-related news is there?
Régis Le Bris has confirmed that Sunderland’s three most recent summer signings are in contention to face West Ham United – although they may have to settle for a place on the bench.
Marc Guiu and Arthur Masuaku both missed the club’s final pre-season friendlies as they built up match fitness, while centre-back Omar Alderete was only unveiled earlier this week following his move from Getafe. Alderete endured a disrupted pre-season in Spain due to a minor knee problem, and while he is now fit, Le Bris has hinted at taking a cautious approach.
“The final decision [on these players] will be late,” Le Bris said. “They came this week, so we will have to see if they are ready. To start or just the final part of the game? We’ll see tomorrow. I think with Marc, Arthur and Omar, we are going to have the opportunity to select them.
“I think it might be a little bit tough to start because of their fitness levels and because they have not had much time with their team-mates. So it might be a little bit early for them to start, but that is a decision we will make on Friday morning.
“With Omar, he has had two 45s, I think. There was also a small issue with his knee, but that is now totally healed. He had about ten days where he was not in full training. I think he is probably not really ready to start a game. I think if we needed him really, he could, because he is a warrior.”
With Alderete still working his way to full sharpness, Jenson Seelt could feature after an encouraging pre-season campaign. Le Bris also confirmed winger Romaine Mundle faces at least two months on the sidelines following hamstring surgery.
The 21-year-old suffered a recurrence of the injury during Sunderland’s pre-season training camp in Portugal. “The timeframe was about two-and-a-half or three months, so I think he will hopefully be back sometime in October,” Le Bris said.
Be the first to comment