Writing was on the wall for Louis-Dreyfus as Sunderland face losing millions in the summer – opinion

Sunderland’s summer ahead could go one of two ways: either they’re gearing up for a return to the Premier League or they’re fighting to not lose all of their key players.

 

Sunderland currently sits fourth in the Championship table. Regis Le Bris is on track for promotion in his debut season on Wearside, and he’ll be a lot closer if his side can take something away from Leeds United on Monday night.
If the Black Cats win promotion, the team will return to the top flight after an eight-year absence. And the club has already lined up their first summer signing if they gain promotion, with Sunderland required to spend £20 million on Roma’s Enzo Le Fee in the case of Premier League promotion.

If not, Sunderland are likely to attract interest in a number of their best players. Already, there have been stories of teams considering summer bids for Chris Rigg, Jobe Bellingham, and others, so failure to gain promotion would certainly result in a significant turnover in the Sunderland squad in the summer, albeit with the owners making a lot of money.

However, the Black Cats have recently received what is expected to be a seven-figure monetary blow ahead of the summer, with reports revealing that Brighton are planning a weaker summer move for Tommy Watson.

Brighton want to pay less for Tommy Watson

On the final day of the January transfer window, Brighton attempted but failed to sign Watson. According to reports, the Sunderland academy star was set to move south to complete the deal before the Black Cats turned down a £13 million overall package for the 18-year-old player.

Since then, it has been reported that Brighton will make another approach in the summer, having previously attempted to sign Watson. However, according to recent sources, Brighton will make a lower bid for Watson during the next summer transfer window.

According to Alan Nixon, Brighton’s need for a new winger will be less severe during the summer transfer season than it was on the last day of the January window. But what’s more concerning is that Watson is unlikely to see any playing time in the remaining weeks of the season.