Crystal Palace edge ahead of Sunderland in transfer battle for bargain defender - reports

Sunderland have been joined in the race to sign Millwall defender Japhet Tanganga by Premier League rivals Crystal Palace, according to reports.

The Black Cats are one of several clubs who have been touted as admirers of the ex-Tottenham Hotspur talent in recent days, with the suggestion being that he could be available for a cut-price fee this summer. It is widely reported that Tanganga has a release clause of less than £2 million attached to his current deal at The Den, and that bargain asking price, combined with his eye-catching performances in the Championship of late, have supposedly piqued the interest of a number of suitors.

According to a recent update from online outlet GiveMeSport, Sunderland are one of a the sides monitoring Tanganga, with the Millwall defender also said to be on the radar of fellow Premier League new boys Leeds United and Burnley. At the time of that report, it was stated that there was no frontrunner, but it is claimed that all three clubs are “seriously considering formal approaches”.

What has been said about Crystal Palace’s interest in Japhet Tanganga?

As per the Express, however, Crystal Palace are also keen on signing Tanganga this summer. The national title suggests that the 26-year-old’s release clause could be as low as £1.2 million, as well as reasserting the fact that Sunderland, Leeds, and Burnley all hold “concrete interest” in him.

But in a blow to the newly-promoted trio, the report goes on to claim that Palace’s status as an established Premier League club could ultimately give them the edge in any battle for his services - although it is also claimed that Oliver Glasner’s side may only make their move if they sell star man Marc Guehi over the coming weeks. To that end, the England international continues to be linked with the likes of Newcastle United and Chelsea.

What has Kristjaan Speakman said about Sunderland’s transfer strategy?

Addressing Sunderland’s transfer plans earlier this week, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said: "We're always trying to get the balance right between being prepared for whichever league you might be in and we've tried to do that," Speakman said.

"Naturally as a play-off winning team you're behind where other clubs might be, but we're fast-tracking that and catching up. We're looking to improve and build a team that is capable of staying in the Premier League, I think the objective is fairly clear.

“Everyone will point to the statistics as to how difficult it is to stay in the Premier League and we're fully aware of that, we're not naive. Our strategy in getting to the Premier League and the solutions we needed, to the ones we need to stay there, will be different. That's work we're doing at the minute but ultimately, we're going to stick to our values. We need to have a team that the community and city is proud of, we've build that in the current team and we have to have that in the Premier League.

"When we came to the club we had a multi-year strategy about how we'd able to get back to the Premier League, and it's about continuing that way of thinking. We're going to make decisions that are in the best interests of the club to try and retain our position in the Premier League, while also making decisions that don't negatively impact the club in the long term. I think we've seen before at Sunderland that if you don't consider those factors, how negative that can be in the long term. I don't think it's necessarily anything different in terms of our principles, but there are clearly key decisions coming up around making sure we have a squad capable of achieving our objective of staying up."

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