MORE EXCITING RUMOURS

Sunderland's transfer business is looking to be very ambitious this summer, and we've heard a handful of very positive and solid transfer links recently...

MARCIN BULKA

This was the first of the three players in this roundup to emerge as a Sunderland target. Bulka plays in goal for OGC Nice and stands at 6 foot 6. Known as one of the most exciting goalkeepers in Europe, football fans on the continent have actually been left wondering how Sunderland will be able to pull this off - beating off competition from the likes of Galatasaray and others. Fabrizio Romano reckons this deal is close to completion (although not yet finalised of course) and Sunderland's incoming sporting director, Florent Ghisolfi, has played a crucial role in sorting this transfer out. The pair worked together at the Ligue 1 club. Reports have claimed that Nice are holding out for a fee of 20 million Euros. Meanwhile, with Bulka entering the last 12 months of his contract, Sunderland will be trying to reduce that price as much as they can and possible entice Nice with a slightly lower offer. With the towering shot-stopper supposedly keen on the move, this is certainly one to keep an eye on.

HABIB DIARRA

This has been a fast-moving news story which seemed to come out of nowhere during Friday. Diarra is a Senegalese playmaker who plays for Strasbourg in Ligue 1. The 21-year-old enjoyed a successful campaign last season, helping the club to a seventh-placed finish. Leeds United have been the favourites to sign the attacking midfielder all summer but yesterday it was reported that Sunderland have swooped in with a big-money move to bring the Senegal international to Wearside. He is expected to be the Jobe Bellingham replacement after our fan favourite went to Dortmund earlier in the window. Fabrizio Romano seems convinced that this is a done deal. He's reported that the initial fee will be 31.5m Euros with a further 4m Euros in add-ons. Diarra's medical is already booked in with the Black Cats and it's "here we go, 100%". Not only would this be a record fee for Sunderland, blowing Enzo Le Fee's deal out of the water already, but it would also be a record sale for the French side.

MATTEO GUENDOUZI

Now, this third player has not been linked as solidly as the first two, but it's a name you may be more familiar with from his time at Arsenal. Guendouzi has been at Lazio since summer 2023 (initially on loan) and is known to be a hard-working, deep-lying midfielder. He can be creative on the ball but is defensively very capable. The 26-year-old has got a reputation for being hot-headed but last season was still a regular in the Italian side. He played in all but one of their league fixtures and made nine Europa League appearances. Lazio are experiencing financial difficulties which means they could be open to selling the Frenchman this summer. Guendouzi also knows RLB extremely well from their time in Lorient's youth setup and, just like Enzo, this connection could prove vital to getting any potential deal over the line.