New Sunderland signing Enzo Le Fee will command a massive fee if brought in permanently at the end of the season.
The Black Cats have signed Frenchman Enzo Le Fee on a loan deal from Italian giants Roma.
The new midfield arrival on Wearside had shone previously under Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris in Ligue 1 at FC Lorient in the 2022/23 campaign.
It is an incredible piece of business done by Kristjaan Speakman, who deserves plenty of credit for showing his backing to Le Bris.
The Frenchman will only sign permanently if the Black Cats do achieve promotion to the Premier League, but here’s how it would compare to the top Championship transfers.
Enzo Le Fee future fee vs Championship record
The Black Cats have ensured Le Fee’s parent club that, if Sunderland do achieve promotion to the Premier League, they will trigger a mandatory option to buy the Frenchman for a total of €23 million, which works out to exactly £19.23m.
Looking at the previous top deals from Championship sides, the highest fee paid for an arrival in the English second tier is Mike Tresor, who joined Burnley at the start of this season for a total of €18m.
Coming in second and third are Wolves’ Ruben Neves and Helder Costa, who arrived for €17.9m and €15m, respectively.
Le Fee’s potential permanent signing would smash those by a total of €5m, and would become Sunderland’s record signing, taking over from the previous record of € 20m for Didier Ndong.
- READ MORE: Where Enzo Le Fee ranks alongside the most valuable Championship players ahead of Sunderland move
Enzo Le Fee signing embodies the ambition that Black Cats fans have been calling for
It is without a doubt a brilliant achievement that Sunderland currently find themselves so high in the Championship table at this stage of the 2024/25 campaign.
But, more importantly, the high standards set by Le Bris this season have been matched in regards to ambition by Speakman, as shown by the fact that he is able to sanction a potential eight-figure fee in order to boost the chances of promotion this season.
Compared to last season, Sunderland are in a much better position in regards to the quality on the pitch, and the standard of the coaching, to the point that the Black Cats are able to bring in top talents and show the financial muscle that matches the ambitions of Le Bris.