Sunderland won’t be signing defender Curtis Nelson.
According to the Daily Mail, Oxford United defender Curtis Nelson will reject a move to Sunderland in favour of joining Cardiff City.
Nelson, 26, has spent the last three years with Oxford having emerged with Plymouth Argyle, and his performances have attracted interest.
The centre back has been targeted by Sunderland, but it’s thought that he is snubbing staying in League One in favour of a move up to the Championship.
Cardiff have allegedly agreed a deal to sign Nelson on a free transfer, as his Oxford contract expires this summer, and he’ll sign on for a future with Neil Warnock’s Bluebirds.
Sunderland owner Stewart Donald is a major Oxford United fan, and may well have been driving the interest in bringing Nelson to the Stadium of Light.
With plenty of League One experience, Nelson could have been a smart addition to the Sunderland defence, especially on a free transfer as the Black Cats look to mount a promotion push next season.
Sunderland do have Tom Flanagan, Jack Baldwin and Alim Ozturk at Jack Ross’s disposal, but with Jimmy Dunne returning to Burnley, Nelson would have been an ideal replacement.
Sadly for Sunderland, no deal will be done, leaving Ross and Donald to go back to the drawing board in their search for a new centre back.
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