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

Sportaran reports that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus pursued a £17m Sunderland move for Eduard Spertsyan after earlier interest from Leeds United and Southampton. The club contacted Spertsyan’s family and were ready to offer around €20m.

Swiss agent Christoph Grafe is said to have fronted talks for Sunderland in May, although the club did not enter direct negotiations with FC Krasnodar.

The approach was reportedly derailed by circumstances unconnected to football. Sunderland’s salary proposal was below what Spertsyan later accepted in Saudi Arabia, though that is not thought to have put him off a switch to the Stadium of Light.

The 26-year-old excelled for Krasnodar with 14 goals and 18 assists in 42 games, then joined Al-Ahli earlier this month in a €21m move, around £18m, on a four-year deal.

Southampton tabled an offer last summer but owner Sergey Galitsky blocked the exit, drawing anger from Spertsyan’s representative. Leeds United explored a transfer in the winter window, yet no agreement followed, and Spertsyan later discussed those missed chances publicly.

Source: Sunderland Echo