According to sources, Glen Kamara, a midfielder associated with Sunderland, is in “advanced talks” to join the Saudi Pro League, potentially preventing Middlesbrough from acquiring him.
The 29-year-old appears set to quit current club Stade Rennais before Monday’s transfer deadline, despite having only joined the French team in the summer. Kamara was previously at Leeds United before joining the continent for £8.4 million in July.
Despite a strong start in Ligue 1, he has fallen out of favour under new manager Jorge Sampaoli, appearing in just three games totalling 80 minutes since the Argentine took over for Julian Stephan in November. Indeed, it is reported that the player has been instructed to train separately from the group with three other discarded senior players.
Within this backdrop, Kamara appears to be on his way out in the next days, and Middlesbrough has recently been extensively associated. The Mirror said that Boro had begun talks with the Finland international, with Michael Carrick interested in bringing him in for the second part of the season.
However, the Championship play-off aspirants appear to have been dealt a severe setback in their ambitions of attracting Kamara to the Riverside this month. According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Saudi Pro League side Al Shabab are in “advanced talks” to sign the player, with “negotiations underway” between themselves and Stade Rennais.
Al Shabab is presently sixth in the Saudi premier division. If Kamara agrees to a transfer, he would join a group that already contains former Wolves player Daniel Podence and Belgian international Yannick Carrasco, who spent his career at Atletico Madrid.
Prior to the January transfer window, reports in France stated that Sunderland were following Kamara’s position, with the Black Cats identifying the ex-Rangers star as a potential possibility. Since then, the club has brought in AS Roma playmaker Enzo Le Fée on an initial loan agreement with an option to buy clause. The club now prioritises attacking reinforcements over midfielders.
Prior to Sampaoli’s arrival, Kamara had shown no indication that he was unhappy in Rennes. In a November interview with GiveMeSport, he stated that Stade Rennais’ goal of qualifying for Europe influenced his decision to leave his previous club, Leeds.
He stated, “I was drawn to the club’s aim to be in Europe. I played a lot of European football at Rangers and getting back to that level would be amazing. And I think that’s where this club wants to be. If we don’t make Europe this season we’ll be disappointed. It wouldn’t be good for us, especially with the squad we have. We have spent a lot of money this season. The goal is definitely to get into Europe. All the boys know it.”
Leave a Reply