Sunderland are plotting to make a serious bid for one ‘true leader’ who Feyenoord boss Robin van Persie has previously tipped for stardom, according to a report this week.

Unlock Personalized Content &
Exclusive Features For Free

• Engage in discussions in Threads
• Follow and Like top authors, topics, and trends
• Browse with fewer ads across the site
• Personalize your profile to showcase your activity
• Get a content feed tailored to your interests

Saturday’s home game against Brighton is shaping up to be a proper test of where Sunderland really stand.

Regis Le Bris’ side have had a remarkable debut campaign in the Premier League — reaching the 40-point safety mark in March with games to spare, pulling off victories over Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Leeds, and spending long stretches of the season threatening the top half.

A win over Brighton at the Stadium of Light this weekend would put them firmly back in the conversation for a European spot, depending on results elsewhere, given they sit four points behind seventh with nine games still to play.

Brighton, meanwhile, are experiencing their own turbulent moment and are no certainty to arrive on Wearside full of confidence.

It is exactly the kind of fixture Sunderland need to grab with both hands if European football is to remain a realistic ambition rather than a pipe dream.

Behind the scenes, the club’s recruitment operation is already working hard to make sure the squad is better equipped for next season – regardless of what happens between now and May.

Several names have circulated this week.

Reports have linked Sunderland to Santiago Gimenez, the Mexico striker who has struggled for regular game time at AC Milan, with a rumouured asking price of around £20 million making a deal very plausible.

Dan Ballard’s new contract, signed earlier this month and running until 2029, has at least brought some defensive stability, even as questions swirl around goalkeeper Robin Roefs and left-back Dennis Cirkin.

Both men have attracted interest from rivals, with Cirkin’s contract situation still unresolved heading into the summer.

Meanwhile, Wilson Isidor’s future could be away from the Stadium of Light, with Nottingham Forest, Everton and Crystal Palace among those linked with a move for the French striker.

On the incoming front, perhaps the most exciting name to emerge in recent days would represent a genuine statement of ambition.

Sunderland plot ‘concrete offer’ for Feyenoord star Anis Hadj Moussa

According to Algerian journalist Mohamed Touileb and La Gazette Du Fennec, Sunderland could make a ‘concrete offer’ for Feyenoord winger Anis Hadj Moussa.

The 23-year-old Algerian international has been one of the standout attackers in the Eredivisie this season, contributing eleven goals and six assists in all competitions whilst forcing his way onto the radar of many clubs.

Bournemouth, Chelsea and Marseille have all been linked with the Paris-born winger in recent months, and Feyenoord’s position is a strong one.

Having tied Moussa to a new deal last summer running until 2030, the Dutch club are under no pressure whatsoever to sell — and would likely demand somewhere in the region of £26 million.

A bid of around £22 million from Benfica was apparently knocked back last summer, which gives a clear sense of the floor Feyenoord have set, with Sunderland previously exploring a January deal but deciding not to go ahead.

Moussa is a left-footed winger who typically operates on the right — direct, technically sharp, and at 23, arriving at the peak of his development. Van Persie has already tipped Moussa for greatness, calling him a ‘true leader’ of the team despite being so young.

“I see enormous potential in him as a player,” van Persie told reporters last summer.

“I think Hadj Moussa is destined for a great future, that this future is already waiting for him, and that he is, in his journey, becoming the best version of himself. He can really take advantage of this period, and he can also become a true leader in this team, which he already is, in reality.”

He came through the RC Lens academy before making his name in Belgian football, catching Feyenoord’s eye during a loan spell at Vitesse Arnhem.

The step-up to De Kuip has suited him perfectly, and his performances have earned him a place in the Algeria international setup.

Whether Sunderland can genuinely compete with the likes of Chelsea and Marseille for his signature remains to be seen.

Transfer fees in the £26 million bracket represent serious money for a club in their first season back in the top flight, but the very fact they are in the conversation speaks volumes about the ambition that Le Bris and the board are projecting.