Sunderland have been linked with a move for Belgian prospect Jorne Spileers.

Sunderland could have to pay anywhere up to £10.6 million to secure the signature of Club Brugge defender Jorne Spileers this January, according to reports on the continent.

The Black Cats enjoyed a hugely successful summer transfer window, bringing in 14 fresh faces and spending in excess of £150 million on a post-promotion squad overhaul that has helped them to climb up to fourth in the Premier League table after 11 matches.

But with owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus seemingly keen to capitalise on the club’s early success this term, it is understood that he could look to bolster Regis Le Bris’ ranks further with another round of investment in the new year.

To that end, Voetbal Nieuws report that Sunderland are keeping tabs on Spileers - corroborating claims from earlier this month - alongside German outfit Borussia Monchengladbach. For their part, Club Brugge tied the 20-year-old down to a new contract in late July, with his deal in Belgium now set to run until 2028.

And taking all of that into account, Voetbal Nieuws suggest that any agreement for the centre-back could cost around £10.6 million. It is understood that Sunderland are keen on Spileers - who has two Champions League appearances to his name this season - as they are eager to add more “Premier League-proof” depth to their squad, and regard the starlet as a talent who boasts plenty of potential.

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What has Kyril Louis-Dreyfus said about Sunderland’s January transfer plans?

During a recent appearance on Sky Sports, when asked about his January transfer plans in the wake of Sunderland’s positive start to the new campaign, chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus said: “I think the stats showed to us that unless you do something extraordinary you're likely going to go back to the Championship. For us, we didn't really set ourselves a budget in terms of the money we want to spend - we had an ambition to try and bring in the players we want and fortunately a lot of the deals we wanted to do we were able to conclude them, and as a result of that the spend in the end was big, but most importantly we got the players that we wanted.

“I would say definitely a little bit [that the great start could affect Sunderland’s approach in January] because obviously if we're in the bottom three by Christmas or we're in the top six by Christmas that changes the ambition a little bit. We're currently preparing for all scenarios but we've been doing that since the summer, so hopefully we'll be going into the January window with a top ten finish in mind and we will prepare and execute the transfer window to give us the best chance.”

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