Sunderland have been heavily linked with a move for Aston Villa’s Ross McCormack, but have been told to pay £8 million for the striker.
According to a recent report from the Northern Echo, Sunderland have been told by Aston Villa that if they want to bring Ross McCormack to the Stadium of Light this summer, they will need to pay £8 million.
The Black Cats were keen enough to offer to take the Villans forward on a season-long loan, but the Northern Echo adds that none of the sides interested in the Scotsman were willing to go anywhere near his asking price – so it seems doubtful that Sunderland will be any different.
And perhaps it was a deal that they secured last summer that will ultimately influence their decision on whether they decide to make a move for McCormack.
In August 2016, Sunderland spent £8 million – the same figure that Villa now want for McCormack – on Chelsea defender Papy Djilobodji, BBC Sport reported, despite the fact that he had made just one appearance for the Blues following his £4 million switch the previous year.
It seemed like a strange decision by the Black Cats, and anyone who watched David Moyes’ men last season will know that the centre-back did very little to justify such an outlay.
Therefore, being quoted the same figure one year on for a player who, like Djilobodji last summer, needs someone to take a significant gamble on him will surely ensure that the poor decision to sign the defender will not be too far from their minds when they are weighing up whether to take a risk on McCormack after his difficult year at Villa.
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