Sunderland linked with shock transfer as Cats look to strengthen midfield options

Sunderland have been linked with a shock move to re-sign former midfielder Edouard Michut.

The 21-year-old midfielder made 28 appearances during a loan spell at the Stadium of Light from PSG last season, yet the deal wasn’t made permanent.

It was decided Sunderland wouldn’t trigger their option to buy Michut for a fee reported to be in the region of €2.5 million.

Yet according to French newspaper L’Équipe, Sunderland are trying to bring Michut back before Friday’s 11pm deadline.

The same publication has reported Sunderland will conclude a deal for FC Lorient midfielder Adil Aouchiche on deadline day.

The 21-year-old central midfielder has not been involved at Lorient in the early stages of this season as he nears a move away, with multiple reports in France saying Sunderland have won the race to sign him.

Sunderland want to provide cover in central midfield for Dan Neil and Pierre Ekwah, who has also been subject to transfer interest this summer.

Michut’s departure has left the Black Cats short of options in the engine room, while the Frenchman claimed it was his decision to not re-sign for Sunderland.

“It’s been a very good season to develop, to be ready for future years since it’s a Championship that is still incredibly intense and technically complicated,” he said when discussing his Sunderland spell in May.

“It took a bit of time to start for me to play games, especially because of some physical glitches as well as the adaptation to a new football. But I think I made the right choice by going to play for Sunderland.

“The club offered me the opportunity to stay. It was my decision to leave Sunderland. We didn’t agree on certain contractual points. There were also a few things in the style of play that didn’t suit me.

“I’m more of a player who touches between 80 and 100 balls per game, and in this pattern, I’m at 50-60 maximum. I thank the president for understanding my choice not to stay.”

Michut still has two years left on his contract at PSG, where he has made eight senior appearances.