Sunderland Target Jack Grealish as City Consider Wide Options
Sunderland are making a late move to prise Jack Grealish away from Manchester City, as they step up their search for width before the window closes.
The Black Cats want the 30-year-old on loan as he enters the final year of his contract at the Etihad, but a permanent deal is also on the table as the club consider how aggressively to reshape their attacking options out wide.
Grealish spent last season on loan at Everton, and the Merseyside club remain in the race to bring him back. That interest has not cooled, even as Sunderland try to move to the front of the queue.
For now, Grealish has been reduced to a supporting role under Enzo Maresca. He came off the bench in City’s Community Shield defeat to Arsenal and again in their Premier League opener against Bournemouth, a reminder of his place on the fringes rather than at the heart of Maresca’s plans.
City’s wing dilemma
City’s stance is complicated by their own shortage in wide areas.
Savio and Omar Marmoush have both been sold to Tottenham. Savio’s move is already complete, while Marmoush is in the final stages of his switch. Jeremy Doku has picked up a short-term calf injury that will rule him out for two to three weeks.
That run of departures and the Doku setback has left Maresca short of natural wide forwards. At present, Antoine Semenyo and Grealish are his only senior out-and-out wide options. Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki can operate there but are more often used centrally.
City are working on reinforcements. They are set to sign 22-year-old Brazilian Allan from Palmeiras as Savio’s replacement, though that deal is not yet complete. They also hold an interest in Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo as they assess further attacking additions.
Until those moves are over the line, City must decide whether they can afford to lose Grealish at all, let alone on terms that suit Sunderland.
Sunderland’s winger hunt: Paixao and Catamo on the list
Grealish is not the only wide player in Sunderland’s sights.
The club are also trying to sign Igor Paixao from Marseille. Regis Le Bris’ side have lodged a firm bid for the Brazilian this week as talks continue between the clubs. Leeds attempted to sign Paixao last summer before he opted to join Marseille, but the French side now need to raise funds and Sunderland’s priority is clear: a winger must arrive.
The search does not end there. Sunderland have spent weeks in discussions with Sporting Lisbon over Mozambique international Geny Catamo. He carries a £51.4m release clause at the Portuguese club, underlining how expensive that particular deal could become.
Busy window on Wearside
It has already been a summer of significant churn at the Stadium of Light.
Arrivals:
- Dayann Methalie from Toulouse for £25.7m
- Jules Ahoka from Royal Antwerp for £8m
- Thomas Meunier from Lille on a free transfer
- Ethan Berry from Crystal Palace on a free
- Adam Nelson from Glentoran on a free
Departures:
- Eleizer Mayenda to Rennes for £22m
- Anthony Patterson to Wrexham for £10m
- Ahmed Abdullahi to Eyupspor, undisclosed
- Harrison Jones to Peterborough, undisclosed
- Zak Johnson to York, undisclosed
- Nazariy Rusyn to Karpaty Lviv, undisclosed
- Timothee Pembele to Le Havre, undisclosed
- Dennis Cirkin to QPR on a free
- Oliver Bainbridge to Boreham Wood on a free
- Tom Lavery to Gateshead on a free
- Dan Neil to Rangers on a free
- Rhys Walsh to Glentoran on a free
- Milan Aleksic to Partizan Belgrade on loan
- Matty Young to Huddersfield on loan
- Bertrand Traore released
- Niall Huggins released
Sunderland have reshaped their squad and freed space in the wage bill. The message is obvious: they are clearing the decks for decisive moves in the wide areas.
Whether that ends with Grealish stepping out at the Stadium of Light, or with Paixao or Catamo filling the flanks, will define the ambition of this window – and perhaps the ceiling of their season.
