Minus the free transfer deal to bring Reinildo in after his Atletico Madrid contract expired, Sunderland haven’t yet splashed the cash on a new defender this summer, even as their excessive spending continues.
The time will surely come soon when the defence is prioritised at the Stadium of Light, with a strong defence really setting up the Black Cats for a chance at immediate Premier League survival, away from forking out more millions to snap up another midfielder in the form of Granit Xhaka.
Xhaka would, of course, offer more steel centrally, but some fresh centre-back options look to be desperately needed on Wearside as the chaotic transfer window chugs ever closer to its early September cut-off.
Sunderland submit £17m bid for defender
It’s not as if Sunderland haven’t been linked to some impressive titans at the back, however.
Sevilla centre-back Loic Bade continues to be tipped to make a switch to the Black Cats this summer, with Bafodé Diakité also allegedly on the Sunderland radar in this department from Lille.
Yet, away from those named being looked at, it seems their attentions have now shifted back to Bologna defender Jhon Lucumi as a bid has now even been reportedly lodged by Sunderland to try and snap up the imposing Colombian.
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Reports coming out from Italy – via il Resto del Carlino – seem to suggest that the newly promoted side have bid around the £17m region for the 27-year-old’s services, with Bologna now sounding out new centre-back additions themselves, in case Lucumi is tempted by a switch to Regis Le Bris’ side.
Further reports from the same outlet have indicated that the in-demand talent has informed his current side that he won’t renew his deal, opening the door to an exit.
If a move was successful for Lucumi to enter the ranks, this could well signal the end of Luke O’Nien being a concrete member of the Frenchman’s first team, with the South American a clear upgrade on his ageing counterpart.
Why Lucumi joining is bad news for O'Nien
Unfortunately, this is the way the cookie crumbles as you advance up the divisions.
Over the past couple of seasons, O’Nien has been a reliable warrior for the Black Cats’ cause, with the 30-year-old now up to a staggering 314 appearances for the Wearside outfit, after lining up for 49 contests heroically last season as promotion was celebrated.
However, whilst O’Nien does know the EFL inside out and will no doubt be a worthwhile utility member for Le Bris to have around the place still, Lucumi has far more experience and understanding of what it means to be a cool customer in some tricky environments such as Serie A.
After all, prior to the 2022/23 campaign with the Black Cats, O’Nien had only ever tasted one Championship contest across his career, as League One and League Two were his bread and butter instead.
Games played
33
29
33
Goals scored
0
0
0
Assists
1
0
1
Touches*
70.0
72.9
73.2
Accurate passes*
52.4 (89%)
59.3 (94%)
57.9 (92%)
Tackles*
1.6
1.7
1.7
Total duels won*
3.5
3.6
3.9
Clean sheets
6
10
10
The 2022/23 season was also significant for Lucumi as he kicked off his journey to becoming a well-known titan in the Italian top-flight with Bologna, with the numbers above showing off his consistently impressive nature at such a demanding level, which is why Sunderland have now submitted a bid to bring him to England.
In particular, it will be his “ice-cold” nature on the ball – as he’s been labelled by football analyst Ben Mattinson – that will have caught the newly promoted side’s eye, with an unerring 92% pass accuracy averaged last season, as a low 47 goals were also leaked across 38 contests.
With O’Nien at the heart of the Sunderland defence last season, 44 league strikes were given up, with a worry that he wouldn’t be as assured as Lucumi when jumping up a league, having only averaged an 87% pass accuracy in the Championship.
Sunderland wouldn’t lose out on O’Nien’s brute nature if they decided to choose the Colombian as their main starter either, with Lucumi winning a mighty 12 duels against Juventus back in May.
Le Bris will have to make some cutthroat decisions if survival is at stake, with O’Nien looking likely to be watching on from the sidelines if Lucumi makes the move to Wearside.
The new Le Fee: Sunderland "close" to completing a deal to sign £17m star
Regis Le Bris could be about to win his next Enzo Le Fee as Sunderland push on with more statement signings.
ByKelan SarsonJul 23, 2025
