Dennis Cirkin's Sunderland contract situation explained amid Leeds United transfer interest and Tottenham buy-back clause

Dennis Cirkin has been a stand-out performer for Sunderland this season with inevitable transfer talk arising after the full-back’s recent displays.

The former Tottenham man arrived at Sunderland at the beginning of the 2021-22 season as the Black Cats gained promotion to the Championship under Alex Neil. The left-back played 34 times for the Wearsiders that campaign.

After that campaign, Cirkin experienced injury troubles and was limited to 28 league appearances the season after and just eight during the 2023-24 campaign. However, new head coach Régis Le Bris has been boosted by the return to fitness of Cirkin with the defender playing in every league game so far during 2024-25.

Cirkin’s performance against Coventry City on Saturday in the Championship was a brilliant reminder of how good the full-back is. The 22-year-old netted Sunderland’s second game goal with an amazing solo run and superb long-range effort. He is back to his best and has played in every league game this season.

Here, though, we take a look at his transfer and contract situation amid interest from Leeds United and relay what we know regarding Tottenham’s buy-back clause:

Do Tottenham have a buy-back option for Cirkin?

Spurs did have a buy-back option of £6million which has now expired with reports some time ago suggesting the Premier League club were looking into taking Cirkin back. The transfer clause was valid until 30 June 2024. Tottenham, though, will be entitled to a percentage of the profit on any subsequent sale of Cirkin.

How long is Cirkin under contract at Sunderland?

The left-back is under contract at Sunderland until 2026 and is likely one of Kristjaan Speakman’s new-deal priorities alongside team captain Dan Neil.

What do the transfer reports about Cirkin say?

After the game and following his superb solo goal against Coventry City, Cirkin has been linked with Leeds United. The Sunday Mirror claims that the Whites are interested in the left-back this coming January but also adds that Sunderland are unlikely to sell the former Tottenham man.

What has Speakman said about Cirkin’s contract?

When speaking to The Echo last summer about the contracts of Cirkin and Neil, Speakman said: “It’s [contracts for Neil and Cirkin] definitely on our radar. The thing with contracts is that you get some complete, and then there’s always other ones that start moving closer.

“It’s a little bit like painting the Forth Bridge in that respect. It’s a constant piece of work, and we’ve always tried to be on the front foot with that element of things. I think to get a Ballard, a Jobe and a Chris Rigg recommitted to the club was incredible for us considering their value to the team and performance level, and also their value from a financial perspective.

“We were really pleased that those boys felt they were comfortable committing themselves here. It’s a journey we continue to go on through, and we want to retain our best talent. I’ve said before that retaining talent is often harder than acquiring fresh talent, but we’ll continue to trying to do that and trying to make sure we keep ourselves in a really positive place with our squad composition.”