Sunderland set to sanction midfielder's permanent exit as Ligue 2 boss confirms transfer plan

Pierre Ekwah looks to be closing in on a permanent Sunderland exit after AS Saint-Etienne confirmed their intention to take up their option to purchase the 23-year-old.

Ekwah joined the Ligue 1 club on loan last season, with the Black Cats banking an initial seven-figure fee. An option-to-buy clause was also included in the deal, widely reported in the French media to be in the region of £6 million. It had initially been expected that AS Saint-Etienne’s relegation to Ligue 2 would rule them out of the race for the midfielder, but talks have progressed in the weeks following the end of the season.

Boss Eirik Horneland, who took charge of the club in December, has been speaking at the start of pre-season and is quoted in the media confirming his intention to sign Ekwah.

“I would also like to exercise the option to buy Pierre,” Horneland said. It’s added that Horneland is seeking a quick conclusion to the matter.

It remains to be seen whether AS Saint-Etienne trigger the clause in full or whether a fresh fee is negotiated, but Ekwah is understood to be keen on making the switch permanent and Sunderland are not standing in his way. The midfielder struggled to force his way into the side under Régis Le Bris over the course of pre-season last time out and is unlikely to be part of the club’s Premier League squad.

While there is an obvious focus on bolstering Sunderland’s squad this summer for the Premier League push, finding new clubs for a number of players on the fringes is a key task for sporting director Kristjaan Speakman. An early resolution on Ekwah’s future would represent a positive start and deliver another healthy financial boost following the club-record sale of Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund. Sunderland will bank a significant profit if and when Ekwah does depart, though West Ham United will be due a chunk of that having secured a sell-on clause as part of the deal that brought him to Wearside initially.

Ekwah made 30 appearances for AS Saint-Etienne last season.

What Kristjaan Speakman has previously said about outgoings this summer

Speaking earlier this month, Sunderland’s sporting director Kristjaan Speakman confirmed that a number of departures were likely this summer.

“When you progress as rapidly as we have, you're going to end up with players in different categories,” he said.

“If you have a longer period of time, then what naturally happens is you end up with a greater number of players in a similar category i.e capable of playing at the top end of the Championship. Those who aren't maybe at that level move on naturally.So we've got players in different categories, definitely. We've got some players whose next challenge will be away from Sunderland, we've got some that we still feel have future potential and so for those players we need to find the right loan and get them minutes.”

Milan Aleksic is currently closing in on a loan move to Partizan Belgrade, according to reports in Serbia.