Italian report reveals reason Sunderland pulled out of £17.5m Ar...

Despite paying Sassuolo £17.5 million, Sunderland apparently ended their chase of Laurienté after failing to reach a

personal agreement.

According to reports in Italy, Sunderland’s bold attempt to sign Armand Laurienté has fallen through after the team

was unable to come to a definitive deal with the player.

Although Laurienté flew to Portugal to join Sunderland’s preseason training, Gianluca Di Marzio claims that the

trade was eventually unsuccessful due to the player’s contractual concerns. After Sunderland and Sassuolo agreed on

a £17.5 million cost, negotiations had made substantial progress, but the proposed five-year contract could not be

concluded.

As mentioned before, the player was seen heading with his representatives on Saturday night to complete a physical

with Sunderland prior to the transaction being finalised on Sunday morning. Italian media state that after lengthy

negotiations failed to break the contractual deadlock, the Black Cats decided not to pursue the transaction any

further. Laurienté is a top-tier, versatile newcomer who can give the frontline pace and goal threat, thus the

breakdown is a setback to Régis Le Bris’ intentions.

The Frenchman is now expected to return to Sassuolo and link back up with new manager Fabio Grosso ahead of the

new Serie B campaign. Sunderland, meanwhile, will turn their attention to alternative targets as they look to

strengthen following the injury setback to Romaine Mundle.

Le Bris recently stated, “Romaine had surgery on his hamstring.” “It’s quite unfortunate since Romaine did a great

job during the summer. After the doctors’ advice arrived, we made the decision to pursue a conservative course of

treatment, which I believe was the wisest course of action. However, he ultimately sustained this injury following a

training session sprint, so we must now wait. Although we don’t yet have a precise timeline, it will undoubtedly be

brief [for the start of the season]. A bit later, we’ll know the entire scope.

What Régis Le Bris said about transfers after Sunderland’s draw with Sevilla

“It’s clear that we need to reinforce the squad but it’s always two points of view,” Le Bris said. “Now here in Portugal

we are working on the players we have and on the other side we have a strong staff to work on the recruitment. Both

are combining at the same time now. I’m really happy with the team spirit.

“Coaching and recruiting are the two aspects of the club that I have always been most involved with! We’re doing

quite good, I believe. The market is always competitive, and we are not the only team looking to bolster its roster in

order to have the best team possible for the Premier League. Therefore, we must take our time, and hurrying is not a

wise choice. However, we are aware that we must be prepared [for the season to begin].