Sunderland should be looking for nothing less than £8m for Bryan Oviedo

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Sunderland’s full-back is currently away in Russia competing in this year’s World Cup with Costa Rica.

Sunderland full-back Bryan Oviedo is currently away in Russia competing in this year’s World Cup with his home nation Costa Rica.

The 28-year-old joined the Black Cats in January 2017 with former Everton team-mate Darron Gibson, but after back-to-back relegations with Sunderland the player finding himself in the third tier of English football. Oviedo is looking more and more likely to be one of the players departing from Wearside.

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The full-back has played 44 games in Sunderland colours and has scored two goals, one of which was an outstanding effort which came last season away to Millwall.

If Oviedo was to stay on Wearside for Sunderland’s League One campaign next term it would be an excellent bit of business for the former Premier League regulars.

The player featured in 37 games for Sunderland last term, playing 2826 minutes across the season – showing Oviedo certainly possesses the endurance of playing the large amount of games the English Football League demands.

Sunderland, however, will likely struggle to cling onto the defender, with the former Everton man being in the top three highest earners at the club – alongside Jack Rodwell and Lee Cattermole.

Sunderland’s new owner Stewart Donald recently announced that only a few Sunderland players wanted to stay at Wearside following relegtion, with Oviedo likely falling into that bracket.

If Oviedo does go, however, Black Cats manager Jack Ross should demand nothing less than £8m for the player. Sunderland are no longer desperate sellers of players. In Costa Rica’s recent match against international giants Brazil, Oviedo was arguably one of the key performers on the pitch, despite his side eventually losing the game in injury time.

The Sunderland man made a number of excellent tackles in the game and arguably his most impressive piece of play came in the first half when a cross which looked destine for the back of the net was headed away at the back post by Oviedo.

Costa Rica are already out of this year’s World Cup, meaning Oviedo will probably return to training with some of his Sunderland teammates in the near future.