It also opens the Black Cats up to a higher class of transfer target.
The sort of player who would have remained well out of Sunderland’s reach without the lure and the financial power promotion back to the Premier League provides.
In the last few days, the Wearsiders have been linked with Vladyslav Vanat. The two-time Ukrainian Golden Boot winner who’s 21 goals helped fire Dynamo Kyiv to the title.
Enzo Le Fee, his loan deal from AS Roma becoming permanent thanks to Tommy Watson’s Wembley winner, may not be the club’s record signing for long.
Sunderland like Monaco colossus Wilfried Singo, for instance. He is valued at an eye-watering £20 million.
Regis Le Bris will certainly have plenty of funds to spend over the summer, in an era where promoted clubs routinely break the £100 million barrier.
As far as Otar Kiteishvili is concerned however, Sunderland have a ‘long way’ to go if the reigning Austrian Bundesliga Player of the Year is to swap Sturm Graz for England’s north east.
Sturm Graz director reacts as Sunderland eye Otar Kiteishvili
Reports emerged this week, via Krone, claiming that newly-promoted trio Sunderland, Burnley and Leeds United are all interested in the Sturm Graz icon.
Kiteishvili picked up the league’s Player of the Year award for a second season in a row this month, during a campaign in which Sturm Graz successfully defended their Bundesliga crown. The diminutive Georgia international contributed 13 goals and five assists from his attacking midfield role.
If the rumours are true and he is indeed on the radar, perhaps Kiteishvili is a summer target identified with the potential sale of Jobe Bellingham in mind.
Bellingham visited Eintracht Frankfurt this week while Borussia Dortmund are still hoping that he will follow in the black-and-yellow footsteps of his Real Madrid superstar brother.
Managing director for sport Michael Parensen, however, has wasted little time calming the fears of Sturm Graz supporters even if he would understand if Kiteishvili is keen to pursue a new challenge at the age of 29.
“We’re a long way from [letting him go],” Parensen tells Krone Zeitung. “But it’s clear that he’s repeatedly attracted interest in recent years.
“And the fact that he’s in his late 20s, after being voted Player of the Season twice in a row, [means] looking to see if something’s possible isn’t objectionable. But at the moment, I’m clearly planning on [keeping] Otar.”
Kiteishvili signed a new contract with Austrian Bundesliga champions
Kiteishvili has two years left on a contract he renewed as recently as January.
With his 5ft 8ins frame, his skilful close control and his accurate finishing from inside and outside the box, Kiteishvili has been labelled the ‘Georgian Messi’ by some even if Paris Saint-Germain sensation Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the man firmly established as the posterboy for one of Europe’s most up-and-coming football nations.
“Otar Kiteishvili is an absolute leader in our team. A difference-maker who plays an enormously important role in our central axis,” Sturm Graz chief Andreas Schicker said after the late-blooming playmaker was named the Bundesliga’s top performer for 2025.
“We have consistently emphasised in recent weeks and months that we will give him time to consider all future options, which makes us all the happier to have found a solution [on that new deal].
“We are pleased that ‘Kite’ has re-signed.”
Sunderland, then, may have a lot of work to do if they are to convince Sturm Graz to cash in. Not to mention if they plan on convincing Kiteishvili to turn his back on another stab at the Champions League with the Austrian title-holders.