Sunderland are unlikely to sign Alan Virginius this summer.
The Black Cats have had a €5 million (£4.3m) bid turned down for Virginius, with the Lille winger said to be ‘focused’ on his time with the French club as he prepares to compete in the Europa Conference League this season, according to journalist Fabrice Hawkins.
Virginius joined Lille from Sochaux last summer and has since made 19 appearances for the senior team, scoring once. He has also netted three goals in only five games for their youth side.
The youngster was called up to captain France’s U-20 national team for the U-20 World Cup this year and scored an impressive three goals in as many matches.
Virginius’ fine form has caught the eye of Sunderland, who are eager to bolster their attack following the departure of Isaac Lihadji.
The Black Cats also signed the 21-year-old from Lille and are eager to return to the French club to find a replacement.
However, they have already turned down the bid for Virginius and it seems extremely likely that Sunderland will go back in for him, with the forward clearly eager to play in Europe with his current club.
Sunderland unlikely to go back in for Alan Virginius
Taking to Twitter, Hawkins wrote: “Lille rejected a 5M € offer from Sunderland (Championship) for Alan Virginius. Kyril Louis-Dreyfus leads the file on the English side.
“Virginius is focused on his Lille adventure with the prospect of playing in the Europa League Conference this season.”
The Wearside outfit’s latest offer is quite surprising to fans, who have already seen their club pull out of deals due to their hefty price tags.
Supporters will be hoping that the club don’t start to panic buy as they enter the final days of the transfer window.