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

Sportaran reports that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus played a leading role in Sunderland’s attempt to sign Armenia international Eduard Spertsyan before the attacker joined Al-Ahli. The club were said to be ready to offer around €20 million, about £17 million.

The report said Sunderland contacted the player’s family, with Swiss agent Christoph Grafe fronting talks in May. Sunderland did not enter direct negotiations with FC Krasnodar.

Talks were described as stalling for reasons unrelated to football, with no further detail provided. The salary on offer at Sunderland was significantly below the package Spertsyan accepted in Saudi Arabia, yet this was not believed to have put him off a move to the Stadium of Light.

Spertsyan, 26, came off an outstanding season for Krasnodar, scoring 14 goals and supplying 18 assists in 42 outings. He completed a €21 million transfer, about £18 million, to Al-Ahli earlier this month on a four-year contract.

Southampton had tabled an offer last summer, but Krasnodar owner Sergey Galitsky blocked an exit, prompting an angry response from the player’s representative at the time. Leeds United explored a deal in the winter window, which did not materialise. Spertsyan later spoke publicly about the failed chances to join both clubs.

Source: Sunderland Echo