'Absurd' - Journalist denies club have upped asking price for Sunderland and Leeds United transfer target
Sunderland have been linked with a move for Vladyslav Vanat recently
Dynamo Kyiv have not upped their asking price for attacker Vladyslav Vanat, despite reports to the contrary, according to the journalist who initially credited Sunderland with an interest in the player.
The 23-year-old has been repeatedly linked with a prospective move to the Black Cats in recent days, as well as Premier League rivals Fulham and Leeds United. Late last week, Express Sport claimed that Sunderland are the only club to have made formal contact with Vanat’s current employers, who are said to be eager to keep hold of their star striker for their upcoming Champions League qualification campaign.
In keeping with those suggestions, reports from Ukraine stated that Dynamo had bumped up their asking price from £17.1 million [€20 million] to around £21.4 million [€25 million]. But journalist Mikhail Spivakovsky, who initially reported on Sunderland’s interest in Vanat, has sought to quell any speculation surrounding an increased price tag.
What has been said about Vladyslav Vanat’s asking price amid Sunderland transfer links?
Speaking to TaToTake, as relayed by UA Football, the reporter said: “Insider information that Dynamo want €25m for their striker instead of €20m is simply absurd, as if to say: ‘Clause? No, we haven’t heard of it’. We know the clause in Vanat’s contract is €20m. There should also be specified deadlines and the number of instalments.”
In a further comment, however, Spivakovsky also cast some doubt over the likelihood of Vanat joining Sunderland this summer. He continued: “The clause just needs to be activated. That is, to find a justified need to spend such money on this particular player. If we are talking about Sunderland, then this doesn’t look like an obvious transfer.”
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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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