Sunderland are willing to let Lamine Kone leave the Stadium of Light provided their asking price is met.
A report in The Sun has suggested that Sunderland are prepared to sell Lamine Kone during the January transfer window in an attempt to raise funds to bolster their survival hopes.
Kone was a key man for the Black Cats last season and went on to sign a new contract with the club back in September (via The Sun).
Sunderland’s Lamine Kone
However, The Sun adds that David Moyes is willing to leave the path clear for Kone to depart this month provided that they receive a bid of £15 million for the Ivory Coast international, as he looks to do the dealings that he feels will give Sunderland the best chance of staying in the Premier League.
But it appears that if he is hoping for West Ham and Crystal Palace to make a move – The Sun reports that they were interested in the 27-year-old – they may need to compromise on the fee as The Sun suggests that both clubs have been put off by his asking price.
While Kone is not the only Sunderland player attracting the kind of attention that would allow Moyes to make a significant amount of money to potentially spend on the squad – BBC Sport reports that Jermain Defoe has been the subject of bids from West Ham – it is understandable that Moyes is seemingly willing to let Kone leave but determined to keep Defoe.
Sunderland manager David Moyes
Defoe has been directly involved in 13 of the club’s 19 Premier League goals this term so letting him go would surely be a massive mistake.
Meanwhile, Kone has really struggled to replicate the form he showed last term, so perhaps Moyes feels that his departure could ultimately boost their survival hopes if it gives him money to spend.
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