Olympiakos 'open talks' with £3.3m-rated Sunderland transfer target ahead of deadline day - reports

Olympiakos are reportedly “in talks” over signing rumoured Sunderland target Luis Palma on loan.

Sunderland are said to be one of several Championship clubs interested in a deal for the tricky winger. Reports have stated that the Honduras international is “keen on a move away” from the Hoops this month as he looks to secure regular first-team football elsewhere.

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It has also stated that there is a growing likelihood that he will leave Parkhead before the end of the transfer window. Sunderland have credited with an interest alongside Stoke City, Swansea City, Queens Park Rangers, and several European clubs.

However, fresh reports suggest that Greek club Olympiakos are hoping to persuade the player’s parent club, Celtic, that an option to buy for £3.3million in the summer will not become mandatory. Allegedly, the Honduras international was supposed to move to Spanish side Rayo Vallecano earlier this window. However, the club was hit with a transfer ban, which caused the deal to fall through at the last minute.

Régis Le Bris says that Sunderland are preparing for the possibility of transfer deadline day impacting their preparations for a crucial Championship game against Middlesbrough.

"I would like this, but it is not often the case," Le Bris said. "Because the market is unpredictable. We will try our best to protect the team because we have two timelines, how we want to prepare this game to be fully engaged and at the same time, we know so that some adjustment [to the squad] could be useful for the future. We will try our best to try and manage these two timelines properly."

The January window closes at 11pm on Monday, around an hour after Sunderland’s game at the Riverside will likely finish. The Black Cats still have some business to conclude, with their search for another forward player ongoing and a number of fringe players potentially departing to try and get more regular game time.

The Black Cats would ideally like to get all of their business done before Monday, preventing any disruption to Le Bris’s matchday squad. The Sunderland head coach says he knows this might not be possible in an ‘unpredictable’ transfer market.

Your next Sunderland story can be found here: Celtic make transfer 'decision' amid Sunderland and West Ham interest in 32-goal striker...