Sunderland had been credited with an interest in Mario Pasalic in recent days

There is “no chance” that reported Sunderland transfer target Mario Pasalic will leave current club Atalanta this summer, according to reports.

The Croatian midfielder has emerged as a potential option for both the Black Cats and fellow Premier League new boys Leeds United in recent days, with the suggestion being that the two clubs could look to capitalise on the fact that his contract in Bergamo expires at the end of the month.

But a fresh update from Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb claims that Pasalic will be staying put in Serie A for the time being, regardless of outside interest.

What has been said about reported Sunderland transfer target Mario Pasalic?

Directly referencing the recent reports of Pasalic’s potential exit, TMW state that there is “no chance” of the 30-year-old parting company with Atalanta in the coming days because he has already agreed to a contract extension with the club. It is understood that a three-year deal has been in place for some time, and that an official announcement is in the pipeline. The report goes on to suggest that there are “no doubts, no details still to be sorted out”.

For his part, Pasalic signed for Atalanta from Premier League giants Chelsea in 2020, having failed to make a single senior appearance in West London. Since then, he has racked up 298 outings for his current employers, scoring 59 goals and assisting 40 more from his central midfield berth. Last season, he featured 34 times in Serie A, helping Atalanta to a third-placed finish with three goals and four assists.

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What has Kristjaan Speakman said about Sunderland transfer plans?

Speaking at the Foundation of Light's annual fixture breakfast last week, Sunderland's sporting director Kristjaan Speakman confirmed that he had been abroad in the days previous to meet with potential transfer recruits.

He said: "From a club's perspective, we're not naive to what the Premier League is. We understand that our strategy to get here is going to be a different to what is required to stay here. Our objective has never just been to get to the Premier League, it's such a landmark and naturally everyone talks about that but internally over the last two, three, four years it's always been about re-establishing ourselves.

“So we need to do now is go on the next part of that journey, and think about establishing ourselves over the next three or four years [at Premier League level] and hopefully build to a point where he can be involved towards the top end of the league which is ultimately where we all want to be. We're trying to recruit players for that. I've spent the last three days in three different countries, speaking with players and agents. I landed back here at about 2am last night, so the work behind the scenes is up and running and has been for a number of weeks."

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