Sunderland transfer truth involving move for Leicester City star revealed | OneFootball

A fresh update has emerged on recent rumours linking Leicester City winger Abdul Fatawu with a potential move to Sunderland

Leicester City will know that Marti Cifuentes has to retain all of his prised assets at the King Power Stadium this month if the Foxes are to redeem themselves following a mixed first-half of the 2025/26 Championship campaign and contend for an instant Premier League return.

It has been a season marred by inconsistency for Cifuentes' side, who are currently positioned in 12th place and are some nine points shy of second-placed Middlesbrough.

With the financial purse-strings having been tightened rather considerably, Cifuentes has been limited in just how much he can strengthen what now resembles a rather depleted outfit in need of a refresh, while Leicester will also be nervously looking over their shoulder at a potential points deduction, which could indeed prompt fears of a relegation battle.

But, if Leicester are to turn the term around and battle for a return to the Premier League as the season toils on, they will need to keep hold of their star performers, along with adding to the squad where possible.

Any possible promotion ambitions are also resting on the shoulders of star forward Abdul Fatawu, who has been a shining light under Cifuentes this term and has recently seen his own future subjected to speculation amid reported interest from top-flight sides, including Sunderland.

However, a new update has now added further clarity to a potential switch to Wearside this month.

Sunderland transfer truth involving Leicester City's Abdul Fatawu emerges

On Friday morning, it was claimed in a report from Football Insider that Sunderland were lining up a fresh January move for Fatawu, having courted the Ghanaian wide-man back in the summer alongside Premier League rivals Everton.

This came after previous reports linked Fatawu to Bournemouth as a potential replacement for Antoine Semenyo following his high-profile mid-season transfer to Manchester City.

However, Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has since revealed via his X account that Sunderland hold no current interest in the 21-year-old's signature.

According to Downie, Fatawu had been offered to Regis Le Bris' side in the previous transfer window. But, with Sunderland since going on to defy expectations following promotion from the Championship by pushing up into the top-half of the table, the high-flying Black Cats are said to have had, and now still have, other targets in his position.

Downie has separately reported that Sunderland have agreed a £3 million deal to acquire Jocelin Ta Bi from Israeli outfit Maccabi Netanya, beating off Celtic to the signing of the 20-year-old wide-man.

Leicester City must retain Abdul Fatawu as Sunderland transfer truth emerges

With much-needed clarity having now been ensured regarding rumours of a move to Sunderland, Leicester need to focus on keeping hold of Fatawu at all costs.

The speedy winger was instrumental as Leicester won the Championship title under Enzo Maresca two years ago, and has rekindled such performances this time around with five goals and seven assists from 26 appearances as part of a somewhat-struggling side.

Leicester have struggled for consistency and goal threat in the final third, but Fatawu brings both of those qualities to the table while offering near-unmatched creativity and one-v-one ability for a second-tier wide-player, with the ex-Sporting CP prospect clearly a cut above the division at his best.

Perhaps alongside goalscoring midfielder Jordan James, the 25-cap Ghana international offers Leicester's best chance of competing for promotion at this moment in time and holding onto his services throughout the remaining stages of the January transfer window could be the Foxes' single biggest transfer priority.