Report: Three elite clubs interested in move to sign £50m Sunderland star | OneFootball

Sunderland succession planning sharpens focus on Robin Roefs

Sunderland’s January move for Melker Ellborg has been framed internally as prudent planning, but it also underlines how highly the club rate Robin Roefs and how real the external interest now is.

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Sources suggest Sunderland are already bracing themselves for a £50million-plus summer bid for the Dutch goalkeeper, with elite Premier League clubs circling. The timing matters. This is not reactive selling, but a club preparing several moves ahead, aware that form, data and age combine to make Roefs one of the most attractive young goalkeepers in the domestic market.

Rapid rise at Stadium of Light

Robin Roefs only arrived at Sunderland last summer, yet his impact has been immediate and striking. Eight clean sheets from 24 league games in the 2025-26 campaign is an impressive return for a goalkeeper adapting to a new league, a new country and a demanding tactical environment.

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His performances have been marked by composure rather than flamboyance. There is little sense of a goalkeeper chasing headlines, instead there is reliability, positioning and consistency. That is often what clubs at the very top value most.

Statistically, Roefs stands out. He currently holds the second highest save percentage in the league and ranks inside the top five for both saves per 90 and goals conceded per 90. Those numbers reinforce the eye test and explain why his name has travelled quickly around the Premier League..

Premier League attention grows

According to Football Insider, interest is led by Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. That is rare company for any Sunderland player, let alone one in his first season.

The club are not under immediate pressure. Roefs is contracted until the summer of 2030, giving Sunderland leverage and time. Yet history suggests that sustained elite interest, especially at the proposed valuation, becomes difficult to resist.

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Ellborg’s arrival from Malmo looks less like a challenge to Roefs and more like insurance. Sunderland know the risk, and they are acting accordingly.

Strategic dilemma ahead

This is the balance Sunderland must strike. Roefs has been a standout performer, but the club’s model is built on value creation. A £50million-plus bid would test resolve, ambition and long term planning in equal measure.

For now, Sunderland benefit from his presence. Beyond that, the club appear clear eyed about what may come next.

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Watching a goalkeeper arrive and so quickly be spoken about alongside Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea is validation of Sunderland’s recruitment strategy and the environment being built at the Stadium of Light.

There is also realism. Sunderland fans understand the modern game. If a £50million bid lands, particularly for a goalkeeper signed only months earlier, it represents transformational money. That kind of fee could strengthen multiple areas of the squad and accelerate the broader project under Regis Le Bris.

What matters is how the club handle it. Ellborg’s signing suggests foresight rather than panic. Supporters will take comfort in that. There is confidence growing that Sunderland no longer sell from weakness, but from planning.

Ideally, Roefs stays another season. He feels like a player still ascending, someone who could anchor the team and further raise his value. If he does go, fans will want transparency, reinvestment and a clear sense that Sunderland are moving forward, not standing still.

Right now, it feels like a club in control of its own narrative, and that is a refreshing place to be.