Sunderland were within touching distance of bringing Sevilla midfielder Vicente Iborra to the Premier League last summer.
It appears that Vicente Iborra could finally make the move to the Premier League this summer, albeit 12 months later than expected.
According to Marca, the imposing midfielder has been the subject of a £10 million offer from the Premier League. At the age of 29, Iborra understands that this could be his chance to earn a huge contract with a wage far higher than the deal he’s currently on at La Liga giants Sevilla.
Sevilla’s Vicente Iborra has scored 26 goals in the last three seasons
One place where Iborra is not going to end up, however, is Sunderland. According to Sky Sports, The Black Cats agreed a £7.7 million fee with Sevilla last summer for the 6ft 2ins powerhouse, who has been used in a range of positions at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan from defensive midfield to targetman.
However, the report claims that the Andalusians got cold feet and called off the deal with just a day remaining in last summer’s transfer window.
Big man, big miss
They will be glad they did. Iborra, who helped Sevilla win three successive Europa League crowns after joining from Levante in 2013, enjoyed a fine campaign under Jorge Sampaoli, contributing heavily as they finished fourth in La Liga and reached the knockout round of the Champions League.
And, a year on from that near miss, Sunderland now have no chance of luring Iborra to the North East of England. For one, they are no longer a Premier League team after finishing bottom of the top flight last season.
Vicente Iborra could have suited David Moyes’ direct gameplan
Plus, with money tight thanks to an ongoing debt crisis, Sunderland are in no position to pay £10 million for a single player this summer.
Therefore, while West Ham, West Brom and Watford battle it out, Sunderland will be conspicuous by their absence.
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