Sunderland transfer news: Three realistic summer targets for the 2026 window
Sunderland transfer news: A seventh-place finish in the Premier League and a maiden Europa League campaign on the horizon. Not bad going for a club that spent most of the last decade scrapping in the Championship. Florent Ghisolfi knows the job isn’t done, though. With extra fixtures piling up against the likes of Juventus and AC Milan, Régis Le Bris needs depth that can actually compete, not just make up numbers.
Dennis Cirkin’s departure leaves a massive hole at left-back. Boubacar Traoré is gone too. Add in continued interest from elsewhere in Kjell Roefs and Anthony Patterson, and suddenly the squad looks thinner than it did in May. Sunderland won’t be splashing Chelsea-style cash this summer, but smart, targeted additions could keep this overachieving project ticking along nicely.
Lutsharel Geertruida:
Geertruida arrived from RB Leipzig last September and quietly became one of the most reliable parts of a defence that’s been the backbone of Sunderland’s whole season. Thirty appearances. Over 1,800 minutes. Barely a hiccup. Liverpool sniffed around in January when Conor Bradley was crocked, but Arne Slot’s exit and Andoni Iraola’s arrival at Anfield seem to have killed that interest stone.
That is huge for the Black Cats. The Dutchman is under contract at Leipzig until 2029 and is valued at around £17m. It is not pocket change. Still, given how settled he looks on Wearside and how badly the right side of defence needs continuity, paying up for permanency makes total sense. Familiarity counts for a lot in a Premier League survival story turned European adventure.
Kerim Alajbegović:
Now this one is a stretch, but stick with it. Alajbegović is only 18. He absolutely lit up the Austrian league with Salzburg, racking up 13 goals and four assists across 44 games. Now he is turning heads at the World Cup with Bosnia. Leverkusen triggered their buy-back clause, Roma have come up with a €30m bid, and Manchester United and Arsenal are reportedly in the mix too.
Realistic? Probably more aspirational, if we are being completely honest. But Sunderland have shown they are not afraid of teenage gambles, and the promise of regular first-team football could sway a kid who would otherwise be stuck behind senior stars at a traditional heavyweight. Pace, directness, and goals from the left. Exactly what this front line lacks.
Mariano Troilo:
Then there is Mariano Troilo. Parma’s young centre-back has had a proper breakout campaign, making twenty-three appearances and bagging a famous winner at the San Siro against Milan. Fulham are reportedly readying a £17m bid, but Sunderland have already made contact with his camp.
Read: Serie A club want to sign £33.7m West Ham player
He cost Parma around €7m last year, so even at £17m there is room for the Italian side to cash in without feeling robbed. He is composed, quick across the ground, and entirely comfortable building from the back. Given Sunderland’s whole defensive identity under Le Bris, a player like Troilo slots into the system without much adjustment needed.
