Sunderland ‘Have Enquired’ But Not Sure If Player ‘Will Listen Or Not’ | OneFootball

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Sunderland ‘have enquired’ about signing a former Premier League midfielder, but it remains to be seen if he ‘will listen or not’ to the Black Cats.

Having just won promotion to the Premier League, Sunderland have kept hold of midfielder Enzo Le Fee on a permanent deal.

Jobe Bellingham was lost though, to Borussia Dortmund, and Regis Le Bris wants more quality options in the engine room.

Now, according to French radio station RMC, Sunderland ‘have enquired’ about signing Lazio midfielder Matteo Guendouzi.

However, it is unclear whether he ‘will listen or not’ to the prospect of a move to Sunderland and whether the Black Cats will make an official bid.

Lazio are keen to raise cash in the market and selling Guendouzi might be something that the Serie A side find appealing if the price is right.

Sunderland though would also need to convince the midfielder, which could be tricky given the fate of all three clubs that won promotion to the Premier League last season.

Guendouzi has Premier League experience, having turned out for Arsenal, and Sunderland feel he could be a good option to add to the ranks.

At the age of 26, the French midfielder, who came through the youth set-up at Le Bris’ former club Lorient, could have yet to hit his peak as a player.

He initially signed for Lazio on loan from Marseille, before the Italian side decided to keep him on a permanent basis.

Losing the midfielder would be a blow to Lazio, as he turned out in 37 of their 38 Serie A games last term.

The combative midfielder found himself going in the referee’s notebook no fewer than eight times in those Serie A outings.

His contract at the Rome club is set to run for another three years and it is unclear just how much Sunderland, who have been trying to sign another midfielder in the shape of Strasbourg’s Habib Diarra, would need to pay for him.