Sunderland still face a few ‘obstacles’ in their pursuit of this 23-year-old, it has been claimed.
Sunderland are still waiting to get their first signing of the January transfer window over the line, and their first signing of the Michael Beale era.
And Beale could certainly do with some fresh blood in his ranks too, with the 43-year-old having come under extreme pressure after just seven games at the helm.
One name who looks like he might be heading to the Stadium of Light is Barnsley’s Callum Styles.
The Hungarian international has been closely linked over the past week and it looked like a deal for the 23-year-old was all but done.
But now it seems like there might be a way to go yet.
Callum Styles to Sunderland deal faces ‘obstacles’
An emerging report from The Yorkshire Post has revealed that there’s a few obstacles standing in the way of Styles’ move to Sunderland.
Leon Wobschall writes:
“In terms of any prospective move north for Styles, there are thought to be obstacles that need to be overcome for it to materialise as it stands – principally regarding the structure of the deal.”
He also adds that Styles, described as quality by Barnsley boss Neill Collins, is keen to join a Championship club this month as he vies for a spot in Hungary’s Euro 2024 squad.
Obstacles normal, but Beale now faces a nervous wait
There’s no doubting that someone with Styles’ quality and versatility would be a huge addition to the side, especially during this current time of need.
But obstacles in transfer deals are normal. It’s not a straight-forward move given the fact that Sunderland want a loan deal and then an obligation to buy, but with Barnsley boss Collins recently confirming himself that Styles was in negotiations with another club, it certainly seems like a move is well down the line now.
Hopefully for Sunderland, this is just a delay. But with other clubs interested in Styles and plenty of unrest at Sunderland at the moment, Styles may well be having last minute thoughts about where might be the best move for him.
It would be difficult to blame Styles for opting to go somewhere like Hull City instead of Sunderland, given the current tension between the fans and Beale, so there’ll surely be a nervous wait over the next few days to see if this deal gets over the line.
Sunderland return to action against Stoke City in the Championship this afternoon, in what is already a crunch match for the under-fire and unpopular Beale.