Dan Neil's Sunderland contract and transfer situation explained amid AS Roma reports
Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil is unsurprisingly attracting interest as he enters the final year of his contract
Dan Neil is the subject of summer transfer interest from Serie A giants AS Roma, according to reports.
The Sun say that the Serie A club could offer the Black Cats a fee in the region of £15 million for the midfielder, who will enter the final year of his current contract this summer.
Neil has long been admired by top-tier clubs during his rise to prominence of Wearside, but interest from the Italian capital represents an intriguing development. AS Roma will play in the Europa League next season after finishing fifth last season, and are expected to announce the appointment of Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini imminently.
Sunderland will of course conclude the permanent signing of Enzo Le Fée in the coming weeks following their promotion to the Premier League, for a fee that could reach in the region of 23 million Euros if all future clauses are met.
Dan Neil's transfer and contract situation at Sunderland explained
Neil will enter the final year of his current Sunderland deal this summer, and there is no club option to extend.
Initial talks over a new deal did not lead to a resolution, with sporting director Kristjaan Speakman confirming in February that talks with Neil and Dennis Cirkin (who is in the same position contractually) had been parked until the end of the campaign and when Sunderland's divisional status was settled. Neil himself was very comfortable with that approach, telling The Echo in December after a comeback win at Swansea City that he was focused purely on the promotion push.
“We’ve had those conversations with the guys," Speakman said.
"There’s no question over Dennis or Dan’s commitment to Sunderland. But I don’t think at the minute, it’s the right moment to be getting into too much of a conversation with them. That’s really just down to the short time period we’ve got to the summer. We’ve got so much to achieve, and we need to stay focused. Dan’s our captain. I think he’s grown into that captaincy role and, as the season has gone on, has become more and more influential. At the minute, we’re really comfortable with where he’s at, we’re just zoned in and focused on these remaining games."
Neil, like the rest of Sunderland's squad, is on a post-season break following a long and ultimately spectacularly successful end to the Championship campaign.
Sunderland will be determined to keep their team captain as they look to step up to the top tier, and will feel their position in talks will be significantly strengthened following promotion. They will make a concerted push in the coming weeks to try and agree a new deal with the 23-year-old, though they will of course have to consider a summer sale if Neil is not minded to sign a new contract. In that scenario, there will almost certainly be other suitors both from the Premier League and beyond.
Sunderland are determined to keep as much of their promotion-winning team together as possible, as Jobe Bellingham weighs up significant interest from Champions League clubs Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt.