Sunderland and Man City have both been linked with Jhon Lucumí this month.

It’s the mooted Sunderland transfer story that refuses to die. After being heavily linked with a prospective swoop for Bologna star Jhon Lucumí over the summer, only to miss out on a deal for the Colombian, the Black Cats have once again been credited with an interest this January.

Last year, the Premier League new boys’ efforts were thwarted when their Serie A counterparts dug their heels in and prevented the centre-back’s exit - despite the player and his representatives making it clear that he was eager to leave.

Since then, to his credit, Lucumí has acted with great professionalism, reintegrating into the first team picture at the Renato Dall'Ara Stadium, and featuring regularly throughout the current campaign.

From Bologna’s perspective, the aim is to tie him down to a fresh contract extension, with his current deal set to expire in 2027, but as yet, no kind of breakthrough in negotiations has been made. As recently as October, Giovanni Sartori, technical director of the Serie A outfit explained: "We are talking to Lucumí about extending his contract and we would be very happy if he was to stay.

“Whether he would be happy about that, I don’t know, you’d have to ask him. We’ll see him later on and see what he has decided. After having to give up on his Premier League dream in the summer, he got right back on track with great professionalism. I hope we won’t have to do too much on the transfer market in January, considering the squad has so much quality.”

And it is within this context that the speculation surrounding Lucumí persists. Earlier this week, continental journalist Nicolò Schira claimed that Sunderland could look to re-open talks for the player, although it is worth reiterating that The Echo was told back in October that there were no plans to revive a deal for the defender in January, and that stance does not appear to have shifted in the months since.

Elsewhere, Manchester City have also been touted as admirers, with suggestions from Italy that a cut-price deal for Lucumí could be on their radar as they look to navigate the defensive injury crisis that has plagued Pep Guardiola in recent weeks.

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What is the latest on Jhon Lucumí amid Sunderland and Man City links?

But in a potential blow to Lucumí’s hopes of securing a Premier League move this month, local outlet Il Resto del Carlino report that the player looks set to be sidelined for a period after sustaining an injury over the weekend.

The 27-year-old was substituted against Como on Saturday, and the understanding is that he may not play again before the transfer market closes, potentially putting pay to any chances of him leaving Bologna. It is now stated that Lucumí will probably have to wait until the summer to seal his long-awaited departure from the Italian outfit.

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