Man City Hold ‘Strong Interest’ In Sunderland Star But He Faces The Same Problem As Granit Xhaka

City Football Group hold a “strong interest” in Sunderland midfielder Noah Sadiki, according to reports.

TEAMtalk claim that the Cityzens, Manchester United and Chelsea have all been impressed with the 21-year-old’s performances over the last twelve months.

Sadiki joined Sunderland from Union Saint-Gilloise for an initial £15m last July, and he played a key role in helping the Black Cats secure a 7th place finish and European qualification in their first season back in the top flight since 2017.

The midfielder also stood out at the World Cup, where he played an important role as the Democratic Republic of Congo reached the knockout stages. They only narrowly lost to England in the last 32.

Sunderland will not sell Sadiki

City’s chances of recruiting the midfielder look to be rather slim. TEAMtalk report that Regis Le Bris’s team will not sanction his departure before the transfer window closes.

They have a similar “unequivocal” stance on Sadiki’s teammate, Granit Xhaka. The ex-Arsenal star was pressing to join Chelsea to link up with his former manager Xabi Alonso, but he has recommitted is future to Sunderland, after being told in no uncertain terms that he will not be leaving the Stadium of Light.

Man City have several other midfield targets

It’s likely that Sadiki was being looked at with the future in mind, rather than being a priority to strengthen Enzo Maresca’s squad this summer.

City are expected to sign a second midfielder despite breaking their transfer record for Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson.

A move for Ayyoub Bouaddi has been explored, but Lille’s insistence that he stays with them on loan for another year may prove to be a stumbling block.

Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga has been linked in the Spanish press, while there has been a lot of speculation about a potential move for Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez.

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