Sunderland midfielder Milan Aleksic is close to a European loan move as the Black Cats work to streamline their squad before remaining transfer windows close

Sunderland midfielder Milan Aleksic is closing in on a loan move to Europe, The Echo understands.

Poland has emerged as a possible destination after teammate Naz Rusyn joined Arka Gdynia following the UK transfer window closure. The Polish market remains open until September 8, giving Sunderland the chance to finalise Aleksic’s next step in the coming days. Though there are other options on the table, also. The 20-year-old Serbian international has been on the fringes of Régis Le Bris’ first-team squad and is seen as a player who would benefit from regular football at this stage of his career.

Aleksic made his Sunderland and English football debut on 23 November 2024, coming off the bench in a 1-1 draw against Millwall. He scored his first goal for the club against Stoke City in the FA Cup, converting just four minutes after replacing Chris Rigg in the third round on 11 January 2025.

Having already represented Serbia at U18 and U19 level, Aleksic received his first senior national team call-up at just 18 years old for UEFA Nations League matches against Spain and Denmark, underlining his significant potential. Sunderland now believe regular football elsewhere will accelerate his development, and a move abroad is seen as the ideal solution.

Sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said the club is working hard to identify opportunities for players who are currently on the periphery of the squad: “Our transfer window has concluded, but there are some other windows and markets that are still open so we’re going to continue to work in those markets to try to find opportunities for players that aren’t currently in the first-team squad.

“Any professional player at Sunderland, whether they’re outside the squad as a senior player or they’re coming through the academy, has to work as hard as they can to try to get into Régis’ squad and team. That opportunity is there for everybody. We have to try to get the right opportunities for the right players.

“Some players, at the minute, ideally need more regular games because of where they are in their career. We’re trying to facilitate that, and you’ve seen one or two players go out the building in the last week that would be on the edge of our squad, so at the minute, for them and their careers, it’s best for them to play regular games.”

Sunderland have already sanctioned several departures this summer, including Rusyn’s move to Poland, but work remains to be done to streamline the squad further. Harrison Jones is another youngster who could leave on loan, with the National League considered a potential option after an EFL switch failed to materialise. Ahmed Abdullahi had been set to join Ligue 1 side Angers on deadline day, but the move stalled due to financial restrictions, meaning a resolution could now be pushed back to January.

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The Black Cats are also still hoping to secure exits for a number of senior players who were left out of the first-team setup during pre-season. Abdoullah Ba, Jay Matete, Ian Poveda, Joe Anderson, and Timothée Pembélé have yet to find new clubs, with Sunderland keen to avoid a situation where they remain without realistic opportunities for first-team football in the months ahead.

With multiple international transfer windows still open, including Belgium and Poland until September 8, Czechia, Romania and Switzerland until September 9, Saudi Arabia until September 10, Turkey and Greece until September 12, and Mexico until September 13, Sunderland are expected to remain active as they continue shaping the squad for the months ahead.

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