Sunderland are now one of three Premier League sides in the race to sign the Scotland star, who could cost more than £25m this summer.
Sunderland are battling to sign the coveted star
Gone are the days of Wembley woes and fantastic Netflix series. Sunderland are a club with European football to offer these days and they are determined to change their status in the summer transfer market,
The Black Cats already made a statement when they signed the likes of Brian Brobbey and Granit Xhaka this time last year, and that was before an excellent first season back in the Premier League.
Now, after qualifying for the Europa League, the Wearside side are reportedly eyeing a sought-after midfielder.
According to Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports, Sunderland are in the race to sign Celtic's Arne Engels, who has joined Nottingham Forest and Fulham in what could be a fierce battle between the Premier League rivals.
Forest, of course, saw their £25m bid for the midfielder rejected back in January and that was the first indication of how much Celtic wanted.
Our website Give Me Sport reports that the Belgian wants to leave, but it looks like the Scottish giants will stick to their £25m price tag to spark a bidding war between Sunderland, Forest and Fulham.
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Sunderland should push to sign £25m+ Engels
The deal won't come cheap, but that shouldn't stop Sunderland from signing European freshman Engels. The Celtic star could be a worthy heir to Xhaka's throne in midfield on Wearside and help Regis Le Bris' side stay involved in the Europa League next season.
|
League statistics 25/26 |
Xhaka |
Angels |
|---|---|---|
|
Minutes |
2,903 |
2,010 |
|
Goals |
1 |
5 |
|
Opportunities are created |
34 |
42 |
|
Fighting |
50 |
30 |
|
Recovery |
179 |
61 |
Dubbed “outstanding” by former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, Engles doesn't offer the same protection as Xhaka from the off-hand, but he does provide a greater goal threat.
It's something that could come in handy for Sunderland if the games start to get more intense and fast next season. Whether they choose to match Celtic's asking price and sign the 22-year-old remains to be seen.
No matter what happens in the coming months, it looks like Engels will arrive in the Premier League and leave Scotland behind.
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It is reported that Sunderland are interested in signing the star who was recently axed from the Premier League.
