Sunderland transfer news: Malick Fofana twist as Black Cats face 'hijack' from Premier League rivals

Crystal Palace person reportedly joined Sunderland successful the contention for Lyon and Belgium winger Malick Fofana connected deadline day.

The 21-year-old was a known people for Premier League champions Arsenal implicit the past week, however, the Gunners are present pursuing different targets aft they were deterred by Lyon's asking price.

As a result, Regis Le Bris's Sunderland were believed to beryllium successful rod presumption to motion the youngster aft the Black Cats' attempts to lure Igor Paixao from Marseille were yet unsuccessful.

No alien to Ligue 1 talents, erstwhile Lens brag Pierre Sage is present successful the managerial hotseat successful South London, wherever Crystal Palace are hoping to rebuild aft a fig of high-profile departures implicit caller windows.

Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi, and Michael Olise are conscionable immoderate of the top-level talents that the Eagles person waved goodbye to successful caller times, with each of those players snatched by immoderate of Europe's biggest clubs.

Palace attempting to hijack Sunderland's Fofana deal?

According to French work L'Equipe, determination could beryllium 1 last twist successful Fofana's summertime transportation saga, with yet different Premier League nine putting a equine successful the hotly-contested contention for the attacker.

The study states that Conference League champions Crystal Palace clasp an involvement successful the 21-year-old, who is said to beryllium connected his mode to the North-East up of finalising a determination to Sunderland.

However, it is understood that the Eagles person submitted an connection for Fofana higher than that enactment guardant by the Black Cats, throwing the forward's projected transportation to the Stadium of Light into superior doubt.

As a result, determination is simply a genuine accidental that Lyon instruct the Belgian to alteration his plans and divert question to South London, wherever Sage's men would beryllium waiting to invited the youngster with unfastened arms.

With little than 10 hours of the summertime transportation model remaining, Palace would request to determination rapidly to hold idiosyncratic presumption and implicit a medical, allowing Fofana to articulation the Selhurst Park club.

Sunderland's winger struggles

Just erstwhile it felt similar Sunderland had resolved their attacking issues, a Premier League rival has muscled their mode into the contention for Fofana, meaning that the Black Cats could beryllium forced to scramble for an alternative.

Le Bris's broadside were initially keen connected a determination for Marseille maverick Paixao, however, it became wide that Les Olympiens were unwilling to authorisation an exit for 1 of their astir important players.

Manchester City's Jack Grealish was different sanction linked with a Stadium of Light switch, but it present appears that the erstwhile England prima is edging towards a 2nd indebtedness stint successful Merseyside with Everton.