Re: Zuculini?
They missed out on their man in the summer due to Financial Fair Play rules, but now it appears Gustavo Poyet is planning a second crack at bringing Manchester City youngster Bruno Zuculini to Sunderland until the end of the season.
Red-tape prevented the Citizens sending the Argentine on loan to the Black Cats in the summer, having recently signed him from Racing Club.
He subsequently moved to Valencia, but his spell in La Liga has not been a successful one.
With just 44 minutes of football under his belt for Los Che, and an apparent falling out with manager Nuno, his time at the Mestalla looks to be coming to an end.
His position looks to be even weaker, with Enzo Perez arriving from Benfica this week.
Gus Poyet has this week spoken of how he would like to bring someone in, but would be focusing on quality over quantity.
“We’ve got one Premier League loan still. I think it’s the easiest one to do, but the problem is the competition.
“Normally if there’s one, everyone wants him.
“This transfer market is difficult this time. I’ve found it more relaxed, but difficult”, he told the Sunderland Echo.
And although he could face rivals in the race to finally bring Zuculini to the Stadium of Light, they don’t look like coming from the Premier League.
Getafe had looked the solid favourites to extend the player’s spell in the Primera Division, although with a new manager in ex-Valencia boss Quique Sanchez Flores taking the reins, their transfer plans could yet change.
If the Stadium of Light outfit do manage to land the 21-year-old Argentine at the second time of asking, they have a player who was brought through the ranks of the club known simply as The Academy.
The likes of Claudio Lopez, Colombian international striker Teofilo Gutierrez and former Porto hitman Lisandro Lopez all started their careers at the Buenos Aires club.
So if Zuculini can reach the heights of that trio, both Sunderland and Manchester City could end up with a decent player on their hands