Sunderland in race to sign Virginius

This most recent report claims that Virginius has lost interest in life in Lille

and may now consider leaving while the market is still open.

That seems to have drawn interest from other places, such as the Stadium of

Light, and Sunderland is rumored to have considered making a move for the 20-year-old.

The winger may have other options when it comes to his next destination, so

the Black Cats are not the only team interested in him.

Clermont Foot, Lille’s Ligue 1 rival, is rumored to have expressed interest in signing Virginius as well.

Nevertheless, it appears like Young Boys is making the biggest push to get him; the Swiss team has reportedly already made an offer to recruit the winger on a loan agreement that includes a €4.5 million buyout option.

Virginius’s contract with Lille expires at the end of the 2026–2027 season, guaranteeing his stay at the team until then. This puts Lille in a strong position to negotiate any bids that may come in during this month.

Sunderland in Championship play-off hunt

It has been a positive season so far for Sunderland, as they look to once again secure a place in the Championship play-offs.

The Black Cats picked up a second win in four games since the appointment of Michael Beale with a 2-0 win over Preston on New Year’s Day.

They already have 40 points from 26 league games this season, which puts them sixth in the Championship table.

The next game Sunderland plays is an FA Cup third-round match against their fierce rivals Newcastle United at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.

Virginius an intriguing target for Sunderland

It does feel as though this is another interesting link to emerge for Sunderland.

Virginius does seem to have some useful potential judging by the fact he is playing in the French top-flight already, and he may provide some useful depth on the wings, if they do lose options in that area.

If they succeed in this move, though, it would mean they are adding another youthful and inexperienced attacker to their forward line. Given their current troubles for goals from a number of players in that position at the club, that might make this a bit of a gamble.

Because of this, you do question if Sunderland would be better off using this window to look for some more proven players to support their assault.