Sunderland respond to £4.3m Udinese transfer offer for Pierre Ekwah | OneFootball

Sunderland have received an offer from Udinese for one of their first team stars

Udinese have made an initial offer to Sunderland for Pierre Ekwah worth €5 (£4.3) million.

According to journalist Loic Tanzi, the Serie A side have made an opening offer for the Black Cats’ midfielder that has been rejected.

It remains to be seen whether an improved bid will be submitted, or what price could convince the Wearside outfit to cash in.

Ekwah has been a key figure for the Championship side since his arrival from West Ham in 2023.

The 22-year-old has made 54 league appearances for Sunderland, but did not feature in their opening day victory over Cardiff City last weekend (all stats from Fbref).

Pierre Ekwah transfer latest

Udinese have shown concrete interest in signing Ekwah before the end of the summer transfer window.

The top flight club are looking to reinforce their midfield options, which has led to them submitting an offer for the Frenchman.

However, Sunderland have turned down their initial approach, with £4.3 million not enough to convince them to sell.

Ekwah has previously been under the scrutiny of transfer speculation earlier in the summer, but developments around his future had gone quiet in recent weeks.

TBR reported in May that Ipswich Town were considering an offer, but no move has yet to materialise.

It remains to be seen whether this development involving Udinese will trigger a more concrete approach from the Premier League side.

Ekwah has a contract with Sunderland until the summer of 2027, having signed a four-and-a-half year deal when he moved from West Ham in January 2023.

The new head coach at the Stadium of Light Régis Le Bris will surely be hoping to hold onto such a key figure from last season.

The Black Cats will have their sights set on pushing for a promotion place this year, and keeping Ekwah could be crucial to that.

Sunderland’s 2024 summer transfer activity

Sunderland have had a relatively quiet summer so far, with the club targeting free agent signings for much of the window.

Alan Browne, Ian Poveda and Simon Moore have all arrived for nothing as improvements to the first team squad.

The addition of Browne will increase competition for minutes for Ekwah, but the pair could also play regularly together if Le Bris chose.

Sunderland have also avoided any major sales so far this transfer market, with Elliot Embleton the only departure from the first team squad of any significance.

Pierre Ekwah is worth more than £4.3 million

It’s no surprise that a bid of £4.3 million wasn’t enough to convince Sunderland to sell Ekwah this summer.

The midfielder is worth potentially double that, and it’s likely that the Black Cats will be holding out for around that figure, roughly £8 to 10 million.

The opportunity to move to Serie A could be very enticing for the Frenchman, but Sunderland won’t back down from their valuation even if he pushes for the move.