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Sunderland and Nottingham Forest Learn Shock Low Fee for Erik ten Hag-Admired Talent

Originally posted on Sunderland on SI | By Manuel Meza | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 4:35 PM ET

Sunderland and Nottingham Forest are interested in a player who has a 'cut-price' clause this summer, and is admired by former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.

The summer transfer window remains in full swing, and the Black Cats continue working behind the scenes while their preseason has already begun.

Among players recently linked to Sunderland stand out Bayer Leverkusen's Granit Xhaka (32), Bologna's Jhon Lucumi (27), or Leicester City's Bilal El Khannouss (21).

The latter is also of interest to other Premier League clubs, and all of them already know his exit price.

Sunderland and Nottingham Forest learn shock low fee for Bilal El Khannouss

According to information from talkSPORT, Bilal El Khannouss has a £22.5million release clause. This price is not considered high for the Moroccan's talent and potential.

The mentioned outlet explained that up to four Premier League clubs want to trigger this "cut-price" clause to sign the player.

Bilal El Khannouss targeted by four Premier League rivals as cut-price release clause revealedhttps://t.co/UbdagYtRfQ
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) July 16, 2025

We're talking about Sunderland, Nottingham Forest, Everton, and West Ham. However, the outlet states that the first two mentioned clubs have concrete interest.

"Sunderland and Nottingham Forest hold a concrete interest in El Khannouss, while Everton, West Ham, and Monaco have made checks," reported talkSPORT.

Additionally, the outlet added that former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, now Bayer Leverkusen manager, is an admirer of El Khannouss.

"Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen manager Erik ten Hag is also a fan of the young star, who is comfortable as both a No.8 and No.10," they added.

Therefore, at Premier League level, this appears to be a four-way battle for the talented playmaker. However, there's also interest abroad, including Bundesliga side Leverkusen and Saudi clubs.

Recently, Sky Sports reported that Leicester need to sell El Khannouss to meet their PSR obligations and give their sporting direction maneuvering room to complete signings.

This article first appeared on Sunderland on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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