Gossip: Transfer preference for £7m Sunderland target revealed as Middlesbrough receive record offer

Sunderland have learned of Ben Brereton Diaz's transfer preference should he leave Southampton this month.

The Daily Mail is reporting that the Chilean striker will only consider a return to Sheffield United. It was reported on Saturday by Sky Sports that Brereton Diaz was wanted by his former club Blackburn Rovers and the Black Cats.

The Saints want to insert an obligation to buy in any loan deal for him after buying him for £7m in the summer. Sunderland are the only club willing to agree to this, and so that is why Brereton-Diaz remains on the South Coast.

It's only the Blades that he will entertain a move to, and he would remain at St Mary’s Stadium if a move to United does not materialise according to the Mail. They say that he and his partner are expecting a baby, so he does not want to unsettle his family life. Brereton Diaz spent the second half of last season on loan at Sheffield United, so it's a place he is familiar with.

Nectar Triantis to remain at Hibs

Hibernian boss David Gray has confirmed that Nectar Triantis will remain in Edinburgh for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign. Triantis joined Hibs on a season-long loan in August, and he won't be recalled.

“No, he’ll still be here, which is great,” said Gray to our friends at the Edinburgh Evening News

"Even though he is a loan player, I think he’s shown he’s very much part of the team and really enjoying his football at the moment.

"Obviously, he came over as a centre-back, so we’ve done a lot of work with him trying to get him into that (midfield) position, and you can clearly see he’s getting better and fitter all the time."

If Triantis was recalled, then he would have been unable to go back out on loan. Players are only able to make an appearance for two clubs in a season. Before he headed back to Easter Road, he appeared in the Carabao Cup against Preston North End, and came on in the Championship against Burnley.

Triantis signed for Sunderland in a deal worth £390,000 in June 2023, joining from A-League outfit Central Coast Mariners. To date, he's made five appearances for Sunderland's first team.

This season, Triantis has made 19 appearances for Hibs, after rejoining them. He's got two goals and two assists, and most recently he netted in a 3-1 win against Motherwell.

Middlesbrough could sell top scorer

Atlanta United have made an offer of around £18m, potentially leading up to £20m for striker Emmanuel Latte Lath according to The Northern Echo. This is the first concrete offer Boro have received for the Ivory Coast forward.

He's been subject of much transfer speculation since August, with teams in the Premier League and Championship reportedly interested. The 26-year-old has 10 goals and two assists in 26 games this term, and leads the way in the scoring charts for Middlesbrough.

The Teessiders could be braced for a bidding war for Latte Lath, and have not yet responded to the offer. He is under contract until the summer of 2027, and so there's no pressure to sell, but for what would be an MLS transfer record, the money's received could be reinvested in to the squad this month.

Ex-Sunderland man to leave Leeds United

Hull City are poised to sign Joe Geldhardt on a loan deal until the end of the season. Our friends at the Yorkshire Evening Post say that a medical will take place on Monday, and the move will be confirmed either on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The 22-year-old had a loan spell with Sunderland last season, registering three goals and three assists in the 2022/23 season. Whilst he didn't discuss any names, manager Ruben Selles said to HullLive that two signings were close, with one likely to be Geldhardt.

He said: "We are very close to signing a winger now in the next 24 hours, and then, hopefully, we will get another one just before the Millwall game."