One Sunderland player believes he ‘could play in the Premier League’ amid recent exit rumours.
Sunderland face competition to keep hold of a number of their prized assets this summer, after finishing 16th in the Championship.
Chris Rigg and Dan Neil are two key players who are waiting to see who the club appoint as their next manager before making a decision, with the latter already rejecting a new contract.
Jobe Bellingham is a player attracting plenty of interest, with Tottenham and Crystal Palace both eager to snap him up.
Meanwhile, Jack Clarke has look set for a move to the top flight for most of the season.
Sunderland will be eager to keep hold of many of their biggest stars, with Trai Hume one name that has been thrown about among Premier League clubs.
After making 46 appearances and claiming the most tackles in the Championship last term, the right-back had reportedly attracted interest from Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Leicester, Napoli and Leeds United.
Trai Hume is ‘happy’ at Sunderland
The five clubs are yet to progress their interest in Hume, but the defender has now spoken out about a potential exit.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Hume said: “I think I could play in the Premier League. You have to keep yourself at a high standard and you want to push yourself as much as you can.
“That’s the level I want to get to but I’m happy enough at Sunderland and happy where I’m at and I’m really enjoying my football. If a move happens, it happens and if doesn’t I’m happy to play for Sunderland.”
When asked about transfer speculation, Hume said: “I try not to think about it. I let my agent deal with all that stuff and until they come to Sunderland and offer money I don’t pay too much attention to it.”
Could his future depend on the new manager?
Trai Hume is well loved at Sunderland and is guaranteed to be one of the first names on the team-sheet, but his recent comments do suggest he would be open to leaving Wearside.
The Northern Ireland ace still has three years left on his contract and was comfortably one of our best performers last season, so there is absolutely no reason why the club would allow him to leave.
Hume doesn’t seem like a player who would just stick around to keep the fans happy either though – if an offer comes in and he isn’t pleased with our manager appointment, then it feels like he could be another one who would reconsider his future.
A lot is resting on the next manager, and losing the 22-year-old because of it would be a huge blow.