'No need' – Bayer Leverkusen chief breaks silence on Sunderland-linked Amine Adli amid £23m transfer interest

Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes has admitted that Amine Adli’s future remains “open” amid growing interest from the Premier League – including from Sunderland, who are preparing a move for the versatile forward.

The Morocco international has emerged as a priority target for the Black Cats following a significant injury to Romaine Mundle and the collapse of a deal for Armand Laurienté earlier this month. Sunderland are understood to be rivaling Wolves for Adli’s signature, with Leverkusen willing to sell for around £23million.

Sunderland are currently finalising the signing of Granit Xhaka from the Bundesliga club, with the initial £13million deal potentially rising to £17million with add-ons. Once that transfer is complete, the club are expected to turn their attention to Adli.

‘He has the ambition to play a lot’ – Rolfes

Speaking publicly about Adli’s situation for the first time, Rolfes conceded that the 24-year-old attacker is weighing up his future amid concerns over playing time in a highly competitive Leverkusen squad.

“Of course, players who have been here for a long time are concerned with their personal situation and are looking at their chances of playing time,” Rolfes said. “We know that we have many good players who are of interest to other clubs.

“That's the way it is, and that's certainly the case with Amine. There's no need to beat around the bush. He has the ambition to be an important player and to play a lot. That’s why the situation is perhaps a little more open for him at the moment, even though I believe he has the qualities to play a very important role for us. We have no increased interest in forcing anything.”

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Adli is considered a strong fit for Sunderland’s wide roles due to his versatility, speed and high-level experience. He made 29 appearances for Leverkusen last season across all competitions, contributing in both the Bundesliga and the club’s run to the Europa League final.

Sunderland are expected to make a formal approach in the coming days, with the player understood to favour a move to England. Whether that leads him to Wearside or Molineux remains to be seen, but with Xhaka close and Adli firmly in the frame, the Black Cats are showing no signs of slowing down in the market.

Sunderland attacking search continues

Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris has already confirmed that the club are actively pursuing attacking reinforcements after Mundle’s long-term hamstring setback.

“It's fair to say we will have a recruitment to make in this position,” Le Bris said while speaking at the end of the club’s recent training camp in Portugal. “Simon (Adingra) has a good background in the Premier League, but if he's alone in this position, we'll struggle. Chemsdine (Talbi) is young and has many games, but is very young for the Premier League. So we'll need to reinforce this part of the squad.”

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