Football
Exclusive: Sunderland Set Asking Price as Spurs and Bournemouth Enquire About Dennis Cirkin
Sunderland may sell full-back Dennis Cirkin in January, with interest from Tottenham and Bournemouth. However, if he regains fitness, a new contract is possible. Cirkin has been sidelined by injuries this season but played for the Under-21s recently. Sunderland have coped well without him so far in the Premier League.
AFC Sunderland v Coventry City - Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi Final Second Leg by George Wood | Getty Images
Sunderland would be prepared to sell defender Dennis Cirkin when the January transfer window opens, but only if the price is right, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
Our sources have learnt the 23-year-old left-back is now a player the club would consider selling with Tottenham Hotspur heavily-linked with a move for the full-back, a product of their academy system.
And we understand Bournemouth have also made tentative enquiries about whether the Black Cats would depart with the former England youth and Under-20 international.
However, if Cirkin can regain his fitness then he could also earn himself a new contract with his new deal set to expire next summer.
Cirkin was a key performer as the Black Cats secured a famous promotion to the Premier League.
He has played 106 games for the club since signing in 2021, with 36 appearances last season in the Championship as the club made a memorable return to the ‘promised land’.
But this season he has not played a single first team game for Regis Le Bris’ side, sidelined and frustrated with a troublesome wrist injury which has proved more problematic that expected in his recovery.
INJURIES
A knee injury has further curtailed the defender’s involvement, although last week Cirkin made his first appearance of the new season, playing for the Black Cats’ Under-21 side in a low-profile fixture against Ipswich Town.
RP Leipzig loanee Lutsharel Geertuida has cemented the left-back role for the club’s last three games against Chelsea, Everton and Arsenal.
Last season’s promotion-winners shocked Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge and then secured spirited home draws against Everton and title-chasing Arsenal respectively in their next two top-flight fixtures.
Experienced Mozambique international Reinildo Mandava was Le Bris’ starting left-back this season and has played eight Premier League games this season, although his red card in a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa saw him miss the club’s fixtures against Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.
“Dennis has been back training with the Under-21s after a long period of rest, so we’re hoping that he will be close to the squad in one or two weeks,” revealed Le Bris.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.