Sunderland have been quiet since the loan signing of Enzo Le Fee from Roma. What Kristjaan Speakman does next in the transfer market remains to be seen, but a striker signing looks likely.
Enzo Le Fee has shone for Sunderland since joining on loan from Roma. His arrival is another credit to the good work by all involved at the club; by sporting director Kristjaan Speakman, by manager Regis Le Bris and of course owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.
It’s clear that Louis-Dreyfus fancies his club’s chances at promotion this season. Sunderland are paying Le Fee’s Roma wages, which are rumoured to be around £69,000-a-week, and Sunderland were then ready to spend big on Tom Cannon too.
Louis-Dreyfus may have money aside for a new striker signing at the Stadium of Light. Aaron Connolly’s move to Millwall certainly makes the Black Cats’ striker department look a lot lighter, and several possible striker signings are linked with a move to Wearside.
One is Chuba Akpom; famed for his 28-goal haul in the 2022/23 Championship season with Middlesbrough.
Sunderland handed Chuba Akpom transfer update
Sunderland were linked with Akpom earlier in the January transfer window. But soon after the initial link was revealed, it was then claimed that Akpom wasn’t interested in a move to Sunderland, despite his previous successes playing in the Championship.
Now, Dutch outlet De Telegraaf report that Ajax remain keen on offloading Akpom, who currently has three clubs ready to take him on loan for the second half of the 2024/25 season: Sunderland, Leicester City, and Marseille.
Ajax signed Akpom from Middlesbrough in 2023 in a £12.2million deal. But the Dutch giants are keen to get the 29-year-old off their wage bill and will send him out on loan before deadline day, with a view to make his exit permanent in the summer.
Sunderland have a secret weapon in Chuba Akpom transfer race
Akpom has some attractive options: play Premier League football with a struggling Leicester City side, move to France with Marseille, or challenge for promotion with Sunderland.
There’s arguments for each club, though the Black Cats may have a secret weapon in tempting Akpom to Wearside: Jordan Henderson. The former Black Cats star plays alongside Akpom at Ajax and he’d surely have a lot of positive things to say about a possible move to Sunderland.
Henderson was linked with Sunderland earlier in the season but he seems keen on staying in the Netherlands for the time being. He could do his former club a favour though by recommending Sunderland, should Akpom be seriously considering the Black Cats, and vice-versa.