Sunderland submitted £17m+ bid to immediately sign 6ft 4 Spanish colussus

da wazamba： Sunderland tabled a bid of over £17m to try and secure the signing of a defensive colossus this summer, according to a new transfer update.

Le Bris bullish about Sunderland's Premier League hopes

da betobet： The Black Cats’ return to the Premier League is almost upon them, with Regis Le Bris’ side welcoming West Ham to the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.

While Le Bris is clearly aware that remaining in the top flight is going to be tough for his Sunderland side this season, he is also in bullish spirits ahead of the weekend action.

“We know it will be tough. But now we have a good group. We have a good connection between all the players, the fans also. The most important is to give everything every weekend on the pitch.

“If you have a good group, you can do amazing things. Last season, we had a good group, and now my expectation is to keep that group really focused and determined to stay in the Premier League.”

It has been a highly productive summer transfer window for Sunderland, with so many new faces bought in, not least former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka, who should add a huge amount of experience to a young team. Now, it is being reported that they missed out on another potential addition, though.

Sunderland submitted £17m+ bid for defensive colossus

According to Plaza Deportiva [via Sport Witness], Sunderland submitted a ‘last minute offer’ of over £17m for Valencia centre-back Cesar Tarrega, but failed to bring him in.

The Black Cats were looking to sign the 23-year-old “immediately”, but the 6ft 4 colossus instead signed a new deal at his current club last Saturday. Roma were also in the mix to snap him up.

Tarrega could have been a strong addition to Sunderland’s back-line ahead of their Premier League return, so it is a shame to see them miss out on him.

The defender is now proven at a high level, having started 34 La Liga matches for Valencia last season, as well as winning six caps for Spain’s Under-21s, scoring twice for his country at that level.

Cesar Tarrega in La Liga – per 90 min (FBRef)

Tackles

1.46

Interceptions

0.65

Blocks

1.22

Clearances

6.60

Aerial duels won

2.59

It wasn’t meant to be for Sunderland, though, unless there is a huge shock and Tarrega suddenly decides to leave Valencia just days after signing an extension, and it’s now a case of looking at alternative options at bring in before the current transfer window slams shut on September 1st.

A new centre-back remains important for Le Bris this summer, as his side prepare to come up against some world-class players most weeks, and failure to add to their current options would only hamper their chances of remaining in the Premier League beyond this season.