Sunderland Now Facing ‘Untouchable’ Barrier To Land Target | OneFootball

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Sunderland are facing an uphill battle to land midfielder Frank Anguissa as Napoli coach Massimiliano Allegri has told the club he considers the player to be ‘untouchable’.

Regis Le Bris’ side secured Europa League football after finishing seventh in the Premier League last term and with the added demands of European football, the Black Cats are looking to add to several areas of the squad.

However, so far they have only made one signing in the form of Thomas Meunier on a free transfer, while there have been exits and the pressure is growing on Le Bris to act.

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Adding a central midfielder this summer has been on Le Bris’ agenda from the beginning of the window and during the early days of the summer, Napoli star Anguissa, ‘who was suggested to be open to a Premier League return, was linked with them.

Anguissa featured 58 times for Fulham in the Premier League and during the summer of 2021 joined Serie A giants Napoli initially on loan and then in the following summer made his move permanent.

The 30-year-old has helped Napoli lift two Serie A titles and he has entered the final year of his contract with the club, with fierce speculation over his future.

Sunderland are back in the hunt for Anguissa now as they seek to take him to the Stadium of Light, but they have a fight on their hands.

According to Italian daily Il Mattino (via Area Napoli), Allegri considers Anguissa to be ‘untouchable’ and has made his viewpoint clear to the Napoli hierarchy.

He took charge of the Naples outfit this summer and it was suggested in June that he was set to hold talks with the midfielder to gauge whether the player still wants to remain at the club.

Napoli have been holding talks with Anguissa about signing a new contract, but it remains to be seen if he will do so.

It has been suggested all parties are hoping an agreement can be found and if one is it could end Sunderland’s pursuit.

Early in the window, Turkish giants submitted a €15m bid for Anguissa, which was suggested to be not far from Napoli’s valuation.

Now with Allegri determined on keeping hold of the player it remains to be seen whether the Black Cats will make a good offer to test Napoli’s resolve in the final weeks of the window.