Leicester City handed major transfer boost as Sunderland set to swerve Abdul Fatawu transfer | OneFootball

Abdul Fatawu is unlikely to move to Sunderland from Leicester City

Leicester City have been handed a major boost in their aim of retaining Abdul Fatawu's services as Sunderland are unlikely to pursue a deal for the winger.

The Foxes and Black Cats swapped places in the Premier League and EFL at the end of last season, with Marti Cifuentes taking over the reins at the King Power Stadium in place of Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

Unsurprisingly, during the Spaniard's maiden transfer window and pre-season in charge of the East Midlands, most of the transfer discourse has been regarding sales and further potential departures, with Leicester already losing the services of Jamie Vardy, Mads Hermansen, Wilfred Ndidi and Conor Coady among others.

Whilst the club's financial situation and potential punishments as a result still remain unclear, Cifuentes will hope to retain as many high-quality performers as possible, with Fatawu certainly falling under said bracket after starring in Leicester's Championship title-winning campaign of two seasons ago under Enzo Maresca.

Interest still remains in the 21-year-old, but he will not be moving to the top-flight newcomers as things stand.

Leicester City handed boost in aims of retaining Abdul Fatawu as Sunderland swerve eight-figure transfer deal

It was reported by talkSPORT on Monday afternoon that the North East outfit had followed up their statement return to the Premier League against West Ham United with an opening bid for Fatawu's services, believed to have been in the region of £28m.

This followed an update from Alan Myers of Sky Sports prior to the top-flight's opening weekend that the Ghanaian had emerged as a potential target for Everton, who are conducting a major squad rebuild under David Moyes during their first season at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

It has since been claimed by Sky Sports that Fatawu remains firmly on the Toffees' radar, and they, like the forward's current employers, have been handed a major boost on Wednesday afternoon, with Football Insider reporting that Sunderland have decided to currently end their pursuit.

The report claims that a move had been explored by Regis Le Bris' side, but they have since made a U-turn after being put off by the Foxes' valuation of £30m.

Instead of parting with the aforementioned fee for the man who featured just 11 times in the Premier League last season after a £14m deal to make his move to the East Midlands permanent, Sunderland have turned their focus to RB Salzburg forward, Adam Daghim, which will be a massive relief to Cifuentes and Foxes supporters.

Abdul Fatawu retention would be a major transfer window success for Leicester City

In Leicester's current situation, not many signings have been made, which understandably has left many supporters concerned after a somewhat unconvincing start to the season, narrowly defeating a troubled Sheffield Wednesday outfit before losing to Huddersfield Town in the EFL Cup and last Saturday away to Preston North End.

Fatawu has, like many of his attacking colleagues, been below-par in the opening two encounters he has featured in, but once Cifuentes' methods are fully ingrained within his squad, retaining his services could be one of the best outcomes of the summer from a Foxes point of view.

He accumulated six goals and 13 assists just two seasons ago, proving that he has the full capability to rip the division apart when at his best, which is a frightening prospect for opposition defenders, yet a mouth-watering one for Cifuentes and City supporters, and it will no doubt be a key factor in why his valuation currently stands at £30m.