'I was really keen...' - Ex-Celtic and Everton ace details failed £10million Sunderland transfer bid
The former Sunderland man came close to joining the club several times before eventually making the move
Aiden McGeady has revealed details of a failed £10million transfer bid by Sunderland years before eventually joining the club.
McGeady was a key figure for Sunderland in the years following their relegation from the Premier League. Between 2017 and 2022 he amassed 150 appearances for the Black Cats, scoring 36 goals and assisting 35 more. After leaving the Stadium of Light, the attacker signed for Scottish Premiership side Hibernian on a free transfer, before departing for Ayr last summer and has since retired.
However, during a recent interview with the club’s in-house media, McGeady revealed that he had come close to signing for Sunderland a couple of times before actually making the move in 2017 following a loan at Preston North End under Simon Grayson.
“I was close to signing for Sunderland a couple of times in the past,” McGeady said. “I was going to sign for Martin O’Neill when I was with Spartak Moscow, but Spartak didn’t want to sell me. Sunderland put a bid in and met the £10million asking price but then the owner at Spartak never responded for about a week.
“I was really keen to go and Sunderland were asking what was happening because they had met the asking price, but Spartak’s owner was in Monaco. He was the billionaire owner of an oil company and was really busy, but they eventually came back and said £10million is off the table, we want £17million.
“At that point Sunderland ruled themselves out and signed someone else. I was absolutely gutted. There was also a time when I was with Everton, and I was going to come at the start of the 2015-16 season, I think. It was for a season-long loan with an option to buy. Everton wanted a £1.5million loan fee and it didn’t happen.
“Unfortunately, I never got to play for Sunderland in the Premier League which would have been nice, but I’m still thankful that I did get to play for the club because I met a lot of good people who I still keep in contact with. My family loved the area.”