Kyril Louis-Dreyfus ‘pursued’ £17m Sunderland move for Eduard Spertsyan after Leeds United interest | OneFootball

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is said to have pursued a £17million deal for Eduard Spertsyan.

Sportaran reports that Sunderland contacted the player’s family and indicated a willingness to pay around €20million, with Swiss agent Christoph Grafe fronting talks in May. Sunderland did not enter direct negotiations with FC Krasnodar.

The approach was described as being hindered by factors not directly related to football, with no further detail given. The proposed salary was reportedly well below what Spertsyan later accepted in Saudi Arabia, yet this was not believed to have deterred him from a move to the Stadium of Light.

Spertsyan, 26, delivered 14 goals and 18 assists in 42 appearances for Krasnodar last season. He then completed a €21million transfer, about £18million, to Al-Ahli earlier this month and signed a four-year contract.

Southampton submitted an offer last summer, but Krasnodar owner Sergey Galitsky blocked the exit, prompting an angry response from the player’s representative. Leeds United also explored a deal in the winter window, though nothing materialised. Spertsyan later spoke publicly about both opportunities.

Source: Sunderland Echo