Sunderland Join The Race For This Spanish Defender: Why They Must Step Up The Chase | OneFootball

In one of his recent posts on X, Gianluigi Longari of Sport Italia has shared an update on the in-demand AS Roma defender Angelino. The Spaniard has been on Atletico Madrid, Al Hilal, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth’s radar for quite some time, and according to Longari, Sunderland have also identified him as one of their summer targets for the left-back spot.

The 28-year-old former Spanish youth has been a journeyman all these years since joining the academy ranks of Manchester City following youth stints with Luis Calvo Sanz and Deportivo La Coruña back in his homeland. But he mostly spent his time out on loan in the USA, Spain and the Netherlands with New York City FC, Girona, Mallorca and NAC Breda for first-team football, before being roped in by PSV for a fee of around €5.5m.

BERGAMO, ITALY – MAY 12: Charles De Ketelaere of Atalanta is challenged by Angelino of AS Roma during the Serie A match between Atalanta and AS Roma at Gewiss Stadium on May 12, 2025, in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

His impressive stint in the Eredivisie convinced Man City to trigger the buy-back clause a year later. However, Angelino failed to stake a claim in Pep Guardiola’s plan and was loaned out to RB Leipzig for regular minutes.

The German giants made the deal permanent in February 2021, but he was again on the move since summer 2022 with successive loan spells with TSG Hoffenheim, Galatasaray and Roma. The Serie A side snapped him up for €5.4m last summer, and the pacy fullback featured 51 times this season across competitions.

Why Sunderland Must Step Up The Chase

But he could now return to England with the newly-promoted Premier League outfit Sunderland. The Black Cats are close to appointing Florent Ghisolfi as their director of football from Roma, and the Frenchman should bring Angelino with him to the Stadium of Light for a fee of around £17m.

Regis Le Bris has Dennis Cirkin, who enjoyed a blistering 2024-25 campaign. The English prodigy has a bright future ahead, but the club must opt for an experienced left-back to ease the pressure off their academy graduate. Trai Hume, Ajibola Alese and Joseph Anderson can slot in as a makeshift, but they lack the profile to attune to the grind and demands of the English game.

Harry Toffolo, who is available as a free agent, has also emerged as a transfer target. But he hardly featured last season under Nuno Espírito Santo. Also, Le Bris’ brand of football would benefit from the presence of Angelino. His flair, overlapping runs, crosses and cut-insides should contribute to their attacking transitions, thus helping the Wearsiders defy the odds and retain their top-flight status beyond next season.