Sunderland have now made an approach to sign an international defender who has 25 Champions League appearances to his name, reporter Ben Jacobs has revealed.
Black Cats set to have money to spend after Bellingham sale
Despite the Black Cats securing promotion to the Premier League in dramatic fashion at Wembley, Jobe Bellingham decided to forge a similar path to his brother by opting to move to Borussia Dortmund, in what was a club-record £32m deal.
The departure will no doubt be disappointing for Regis Le Bris, given that the 19-year-old was a crucial player last season, making 43 appearances in all competitions, but there should now be additional funds to bring in a suitable replacement this summer.
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Tommy Doyle is one of the players who has been earmarked as a potential replacement for Bellingham, but central midfield is not the only area in which Le Bris is looking to strengthen, having also set his sights on a new left-back.
Aston Villa’s Alex Moreno was identified as a potential target earlier this week, following the Spaniard’s return from a loan spell with Nottingham Forest, and Sunderland have now made an approach to sign a different left-back, namely Atletico Madrid’s Reinildo.
That is according to Jacobs, who took to X to reveal that a number of clubs have come forward to sign the Atletico defender, with Leeds United and Forest making approaches of their own, while clubs from Saudi Arabia and Turkey also retain an interest.
The 31-year-old’s contract is set to expire after the upcoming Club World Cup, potentially opening the door for a move to the Stadium of Light, and given that he currently earns around £13k-a-week, wages shouldn’t be too much of an issue either.
“Talented” Reinildo needs to leave Atletico this summer
The Beira-born defender is still at an age where he should be playing regular first-team football, but that has not been the case at Atletico Madrid for quite some time, having been benched for all of the Spanish side’s La Liga games since the end of March.
As such, the Mozambique international needs to move on this summer, and the Stadium of Light could be an attractive destination, given that the Black Cats have returned to the Premier League.
There are also some indications the left-back could be a savvy signing on a free transfer, considering Le Bris would be bringing in a player with a lot of experience at the top level, having made a total of 25 appearances in the Champions League.
Once described as a “talented” player by Zach Lowy, Reinildo could be a solid addition to the Sunderland squad this summer, but there may be some justified concerns that he is now past his best, given that Atletico were willing to let his contract run down.
