HERE WE GO: Sunderland on the brink of completing two deals for midfielders
SUNDERLAND are close to agreeing deals for two of their fringe midfielders, with Pierre Ekwah and Milan Aleksic both set to leave the Stadium of Light this summer.
Ekwah is set to join St Etienne on a permanent basis, having spent last season on loan at the French club, while Aleksic is poised to complete a season-loan switch to Serbian side Partizan Belgrade.
A clause for a permanent move was inserted into the terms of Ekwah’s loan deal when he left Wearside last summer, but it was initially reported that St Etienne would be unable to take it up following their relegation from Ligue 1 last season.
Sunderland received a loan fee of around £1m, with the French media reporting that a deal was in place for a potential £6m switch this summer.
It is unlikely that St Etienne would be able to afford that as an up-front fee following their relegation to the second tier, but with Regis Le Bris adamant that Ekwah does not have a future at the Stadium of Light, the Black Cats hierarchy are understood to be willing to discuss a possible compromise deal.
An initial round of talks have taken place, with St Etienne boss Eirik Horneland adamant he wants to keep Ekwah within the squad. “I would also like to exercise the option to buy Pierre,” Horneland is reported to have said in the French press.
West Ham United are due a portion of any fee as part of the deal that saw Ekwah join Sunderland from the Hammers’ academy ranks in January 2023, but the Black Cats are still set to bank a considerable profit for a player who last played a league game for them in May 2024.
Aleksic has also struggled to make his mark on Sunderland’s first team since joining from FC Radnicki last August, but the Black Cats are not yet ready to write off the 19-year-old.
Le Bris does not feel Aleksic is ready for Premier League football next season, but while Sunderland have received expressions of interest over a permanent deal for the teenager, they would rather send him out on loan next season to see how he develops.
Partizan Belgrade have offered Aleksic a route back to his homeland, and a loan deal is understood to be on the brink of being agreed. Partizan are hoping to complete the transfer relatively quickly as their season begins with a Europa League qualifying game against AEK Larnaca on July 10.
