Kyril Louis-Dreyfus ‘to offer’ £17m for Eduard Spertsyan after Leeds United interest | OneFootball

Sportaran reports that Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus pursued a £17 million move for Eduard Spertsyan, contacting the player's family and indicating readiness to offer about €20 million.

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

The move was said to have been hindered by circumstances not directly related to football, with no further detail provided. Sunderland's salary proposal was significantly below the package Spertsyan later accepted in Saudi Arabia, though this was not thought to have deterred him.

Spertsyan registered 14 goals and 18 assists in 42 appearances for Krasnodar. Earlier this month he completed a €21 million move to Al-Ahli on a four-year deal.

Southampton submitted an offer last summer, but Krasnodar owner Sergey Galitsky blocked his departure. That decision drew an angry response from Spertsyan’s representative.

Leeds United also explored a transfer during the winter window, yet no agreement followed. Spertsyan later spoke publicly about those missed opportunities to join Southampton and Leeds.

Source: Sunderland Echo