Sunderland preparing opening bid for African midfielder after holding agent talks

Sunderland have entered talks to sign Royal Charleroi SC midfielder Yacine Titraoui in the summer, with an opening offer now in the works.

Sunderland eyeing Titraoui with Le Fee and Xhaka attracting interest

The Black Cats may need to bring in some new options in the middle of the park this summer, with it emerging they could be prepared to sell Enzo Le Fee, amid interest from one of their Premier League rivals.

Granit Xhaka’s departure may also be sanctioned, as clubs from Saudi Arabia are starting to show concrete interest, and losing the Switzerland international could be a major blow, with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp describing him as the Black Cats’ best summer signing.

It is hard to disagree, with the midfielder averaging the joint-highest number of defensive contributions per 90 in the squad this season.

Should Xhaka move on, it may be important for Sunderland to bring in a midfielder in a similar mould, and Titraoui also flourishes from a defensive point of view, with an average of 1.4 interceptions per 90 in the Belgian Pro League placing him second in the Charleroi squad.

According to a report from Media Foot (via Sport Witness), Sunderland are now preparing an opening bid for the Charleroi starhaving already held talks with his agents.

The Algerian, who has been lauded as “exceptional” by journalist Chebli Ishaqhas a little over a year remaining on his contract, which means the Belgian side won’t be able to command a huge fee, amid interest from Marseille and Leeds United.

The 22-year-old’s exit is ‘imminent’, off the back of an impressive campaign in the Belgian Pro League, cementing himself as a key player by making 28 appearances and scoring four goals.

The latest on Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland future

Although Regis Le Bris has achieved his goal of guiding Sunderland to safety, there is still plenty of speculation surrounding his future, and the board are considering replacing him with Thomas Frank.

There have been conflicting reports, with Fabrizio Romano suggesting the 50-year-old is going nowhere, although the 5-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest at home may not have done him any favours.

All Le Bris can do is focus on having a strong end to the Premier League season, and his side have a golden opportunity to get three points on the board this weekend, when they travel to Molineux to take on already-relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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