£1.2m release clause twist as Sunderland and Leeds United target reportedly snubs Premier League
The Sunderland and Leeds United-linked defender is reportedly set to snub a Premier League return
Millwall defender Japhet Tanganga is reportedly set to reject a move back to the Premier League, despite interest from Sunderland, Leeds United, Burnley, and Crystal Palace.
According to journalist Alan Nixon, the 26-year-old is instead eyeing a switch to Germany or France, with clubs on the continent said to be lining up a “bargain deal” for the former Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate.
Tanganga joined Millwall on loan in January 2024 before making the move permanent in the summer. His performances in the Championship impressed several top-flight sides, with a modest £1.2million release clause in his contract making him an appealing option.
Premier League interest has been strong, with Palace considering him as a potential replacement for Marc Guehi, who is expected to attract offers this summer. Meanwhile, promoted sides Sunderland, Leeds, and Burnley had all shown interest in triggering the clause, having seen Tanganga perform consistently at second-tier level last season.
Despite that, Nixon reports that the player’s preference is a move abroad, with a number of clubs from Germany and France expressing serious interest in recent weeks. Tanganga is thought to favour a fresh start on the continent rather than battling for minutes in the Premier League.
What has Kristjaan Speakman said about Sunderland’s transfer strategy?
Addressing Sunderland’s transfer plans earlier this week, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said: "We're always trying to get the balance right between being prepared for whichever league you might be in and we've tried to do that," Speakman said.
"Naturally as a play-off winning team you're behind where other clubs might be, but we're fast-tracking that and catching up. We're looking to improve and build a team that is capable of staying in the Premier League, I think the objective is fairly clear.
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“Everyone will point to the statistics as to how difficult it is to stay in the Premier League and we're fully aware of that, we're not naive. Our strategy in getting to the Premier League and the solutions we needed, to the ones we need to stay there, will be different. That's work we're doing at the minute but ultimately, we're going to stick to our values. We need to have a team that the community and city is proud of, we've build that in the current team and we have to have that in the Premier League.
"When we came to the club we had a multi-year strategy about how we'd able to get back to the Premier League, and it's about continuing that way of thinking. We're going to make decisions that are in the best interests of the club to try and retain our position in the Premier League, while also making decisions that don't negatively impact the club in the long term. I think we've seen before at Sunderland that if you don't consider those factors, how negative that can be in the long term. I don't think it's necessarily anything different in terms of our principles, but there are clearly key decisions coming up around making sure we have a squad capable of achieving our objective of staying up."
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