Sunderland now targeting “fantastic” £18m star

Sunderland have raced out of the blocks at a serious speed when it comes to securing early deals in the summer transfer window.

Already, the Black Cats have splashed out £20m to win Enzo Le Fee permanently, with another £30m soon to be dropped on new club-record signing Habib Diarra to join the expanding Stadium of Light ranks.

Their lightning-quick business isn’t stopping there either, with Reinildo reportedly also expected to link up with Regis Le Bris‘ men shortly after agreeing a deal to leave Atletico Madrid behind.

Sunderland interested in deal for £18m defender

Amazingly, yet another deal is also in their sights, as Sunderland look to bolster their numbers defensively with this £18m target.

As per a report by journalist Alan Nixon, Sunderland are not slowing down on the transfer front, with the newly promoted outfit now interested in a deal to snap up ex-Leeds United centre-back Charlie Cresswell.

Cresswell’s stock has certainly risen since he exited Elland Road just last summer for a mere £3.8m, with the Ligue 1 side now demanding £18m out of any suitor chasing after the England U21 international after he slotted immediately into the French top division side’s defensive positions with ease.

Fresh off sealing a Euros success with Lee Carsley’s youthful Three Lions too, it’s no surprise to see a whole host of clubs queueing up for the 22-year-old’s services, with Nixon revealing that Atalanta and Como are keeping an eye on him in Italy, alongside some unnamed Premier League clubs.

Why Cresswell could be a better signing than Diarra

Amazingly, although Diarra is costing a club-record £30m to win, Cresswell might well be viewed as an even better pick-up than the Senegal international down the line, with the potential there for the young defender to shine even brighter in the demanding Premier League after a formative Toulouse stint.

After all, Cresswell has already shown he can shine in some high-pressure situations on the international stage, meaning he is unlikely to be fazed by any relegation battles to come.

Indeed, the impressive 22-year-old barely put a foot wrong all across England U21s’ memorable tournament, with Cresswell winning ten duels in total across the long-winded 120-minute final against Germany, alongside chipping in with a goal during the Three Lions’ opening win against the Czech Republic.

On top of that, he will be chomping at the bit to succeed back in the English game, having been hastily discarded by Leeds, with the 6-foot-3 titan also far more attuned to the pressures of an elite division now, after starring week in week out for Carles Martinez Novell’s men.

Diarra has also shown flashes of his quality in the same terrain, with four goals and five assists next to his name across the 2024/25 season, but the strain of being Sunderland’s most expensive buy ever might well work against the 21-year-old, especially as he gets up to speed with what is expected of him in the taxing Premier League.

In comparison, Cresswell will be very hungry to be an instant success on Wearside after failing to make the grade at Leeds, irrespective of a spotlight beaming down on him.

He even managed to line up for the Whites five times in the top-flight before moving away to Southern France, and off the back of such a superb season in the heart of Toulouse’s defence – as can be seen looking at the table above – he will be desperate to add more Premier League experience next to his name.

Lauded as “fantastic” by Gary Rowett when starring in the Championship at Millwall, this just feels like the next natural step for the 22-year-old to shine even more.

Whilst Diarra will no doubt go on to be a success in his own right, this pick-up of such an in-demand defender feels like an even more exciting purchase, knowing that he could well be transformed into a Jobe Bellingham-level talent on Wearside.

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