Sunderland and Leeds United Suffer Blow as Top Defensive Target Slips Away

Sunderland and Leeds United are involved in another transfer race, but it seems they’ve suffered a major setback for a defender.

It’s true that the Black Cats have announced multiple signings this summer, including Reinildo Mandava (31), Habib Diarra (21), Noah Sadiki (20), Chemsdine Talbi (20), and Simon Adingra (23), but they don’t plan to stop there.

In recent hours, Sunderland have been linked to players like Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss (21), Bayer Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka (32), or Bologna’s Jhon Lucumi (27).

For the latter, the Lads are competing with Leeds United, but both clubs have received bad news on that front.

Sunderland and Leeds United suffer blow as top target Jhon Lucumi slips away

According to reports from Il Resto del Carlino (h/t 1000 Cuori Rossoblu), Jhon Lucumi recently rejected an offer from Sunderland.

And while we’re talking about the Black Cats, this is also bad news for Leeds, primarily because of the reason behind the rejection.

The aforementioned outlet explains that the Colombian center-back doesn’t want to play for a team that isn’t competing in any European tournament during the 2025-26 season, prioritizing any club involved in the UEFA Champions League.

“The interest was genuine and firm, as was the Colombian defender’s refusal. To leave Bologna, he wants a team that can compete in cup competitions, possibly the Champions League,” the report states.

It was Gianluca Di Marzio who linked Sunderland to Lucumi a few hours ago, explaining that the Lads’ board were likely to negotiate a transfer with Bologna later, after his release clause expired.

On the other hand, TBR Football reported weeks ago that Leeds United were one of several Premier League clubs interested in signing the Colombian defender.

In Italy, Lucumi has also attracted interest from a couple of the country’s top clubs, including Juventus and Inter Milan, who, based on the latest updates, would have a better chance of signing him due to their participation in European competitions.

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