Potential Sunderland transfer move for Birmingham City star not ruled out
A potential Sunderland raid on Birmingham City this summer has not been ruled out.
Sunderland have made just the one summer signing so far, bringing in experienced goalkeeper Simon Moore on a free transfer.
Not with Regis Le Bris in place as the club’s new head coach, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman can really get to work on the club’s summer transfer plans.
And a handful of names have so far been linked with a potential summer move to the Stadium of Light.
Mostly, it’s names in attack, with Speakman surely desperate to put an end to the Black Cats’ striker woes in the Championship.
Macaulay Langstaff at Notts County has been mentioned, whilst Scotland’s Lawrence Shankland was previously reported to be a target for Sunderland.
Elsewhere, Sunderland tried and failed to sign Paik Seung-Ho from South Korean outfit Jeonbuk in January, with Birmingham City winning that race.
Sunderland move for Paik Seung-Ho at Birmingham City not ruled out
Reports in April claimed that Sunderland wanted to plot a fresh move for Seung-Ho this summer, after failing to land him in January.
Birmingham City won the race for Seung-Ho who penned a two-and-a-half year deal at St Andrew’s, going on to score once in 18 Championship outings as Blues were relegated to League One.
Now, an emerging report from Sunderland Echo has confirmed that Sunderland tried to sign Seung-Ho in January and that a deal was ‘relatively advanced’, before the Black Cats allowed Birmingham City to enter the race.
Sunderland Echo add that it would be ‘surprising’ to see Speakman go back in for Seung-Ho this summer, but that ‘previous interest means it can’t be discounted entirely’.
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Why Sunderland are unlikely to sign Paik Seung-Ho this summer
Despite the fact that Birmingham City signed Seung-Ho on a free transfer in January, it appears unlikely that Blues will let him leave on the cheap this summer.
The club are preparing for a big summer overhaul and look set to spend well, so they’ll want to bring back as much money from potential player sales as possible.
Also given the fact that he’s under contract for another two years, Blues are under no immediate pressure to sell the South Korean.
What’s more is that Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers are thought to have a strong interest in the midfielder; seemingly much stronger than Sunderland, despite the likes of midfielders Dan Neil and Jobe Bellingham having Premier League suitors.
Like Sunderland Echo say, though, a summer move for Seung-Ho can’t be entirely ruled out, although it does seem unlikely as things stand.
