There are also some transfer sagas that have dragged on over large portions of time whilst some links just wouldn't go away despite little interest from either side.
From Gazza and David Beckham to Jan Koller and Nathan Broadhead, we take a look at the Sunderland rumours, transfer sagas, near misses and forgotten targets that didn't end up happening for whatever reason.
1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was reportedly a transfer target for Sunderland under Pete Reid and famously featured on Sunderland's potential free agent signings list in the Netflix docu-series Sunderland Til I Die. Photo: Linnea Rheborg
2. Kevin Phillips
The former Sunderland striker was often linked with a move back to Wearside with a deal thought to be close under the newly installed owner and chairman during the 2006-07 season. Phillips, however, moved elsewhere. Photo: Michael Steele
3. Robbie Keane
It felt like Sunderland were linked with Robbie Keane once a season every season for about 10 consecutive years. A deal was thought to be close at various points but Sunderland weren't able to capture the striker's signature. Photo: Mike Hewitt
4. Virgil van Dijk
Word has it that the world class Dutchman was reportedly close to joining Sunderland but the deal was pulled at the 11th hour. Photo: STEVE BARDENS