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

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus reportedly pursued a £17m move for Eduard Spertsyan after interest from Leeds United and Southampton.

According to Sportaran, Sunderland contacted Spertsyan’s family and were prepared to offer around €20m, with Swiss agent Christoph Grafe fronting talks in May, though the club never engaged directly with FC Krasnodar.

The attempt was said to have been derailed by circumstances unrelated to football, with no further detail provided. Sunderland’s salary proposal was significantly below what Spertsyan later accepted in Saudi Arabia, yet this was not believed to have discouraged him and he was open to a switch to the Stadium of Light.

The 26-year-old impressed for Krasnodar last season, scoring 14 goals and supplying 18 assists in 42 appearances. He later completed a €21m move to Al-Ahli earlier this month and signed a four-year contract.

Southampton had tabled an offer last summer, but Krasnodar owner Sergey Galitsky blocked his departure, prompting an angry response from the player’s representative at the time.

Leeds United explored a deal in the winter window, but their interest did not lead to an agreement. Spertsyan has since spoken publicly about the failed opportunities to join both Southampton and Leeds.

Source: Sunderland Echo