Trio could quit club as Boro star Grant is on Cats’ radar
SUNDERLAND OWNER DONALD REVEALS THAT CATTERMOLE, HONEYMAN AND ASORO COULD ALL GO
Sunderland chairman Stewart Donald has admitted that Lee Cattermole, George Honeyman and Joel Asoro could all leave the club this summer.
CattermoleandHoneyman are both represented by Margaret Byrne, a former chief executive of the club.
Donald told the Roker Report podcast that both were looking for moves this summer. He said: “I haven’t spoken to Lee Cattermole, and I’m sure he’s a lovely guy.
“His representatives have indicated that he might not want to be here, but that he will not leave a penny behind.
“That’s a difficult scenario. He’s got three years [left on his contract]. Obviously, the agent is the person that gave him the five-year-deal, which is not great.
“We’re sat having a conversation with the player where a previous employee gives him a deal on quite a lot of money, which isn’t Lee Cattermole’s fault, to be fair.
“He negotiated a contract and signed it. The club have to honour it. Lee, if he is here, will give 100% for the football club, I don’t doubt that. “He’s a good character.” Donald hopes that Honeyman may yet stay at the club, with Jack Ross likely to hold further talks with players when they return to pre-season training next week.
He added: “Jack spoke to George Honeyman and it was OK, but his agent, Margaret Byrne, said that he would prefer to be a Championship or a Premier League player.
“Now his interview at the end of the season was absolutely bang on.
“I’m sure he’s a lovely lad and he may well want to stay.
“But the conversations that the club have had are not really dissimilar to Paddy McNair.”
Should Honeyman and Cattermole leave, along with the likes of Didier Ndong, Jack Rodwell and McNair, it will leave Sunderland short on midfielders.
Hibernian star Dylan McGeouch is in talks over a move, while Donald admitted that former Black Cat Grant Leadbitter, available for transfer at Middlesbrough, is also an option.
Speaking before it emerged that Boro’s McNair bid had been withdrawn, Donald made clear any potential deal for Leadbitter would be a separate negotiation
“He (Leadbitter) is someone on our radar,” said Donald. “If it happens it will be a permanent deal. We are not far down the line with that. What we have said to Middlesbrough is ‘we are interested but let’s get Paddy (McNair) down the line first’.
“Has Paddy turned in a transfer request? No.
“Has his agent told us that Paddy McNair will not play for the club again? Yes.
“Not one Premier League club has reached the valuation.Middlesbroughand Stoke are close.
“Brighton don’t see him past £3million. If we say it was £5million or whatever, the market now knows we have accepted an offer for £5m.
“The only other club who have done that is Stoke. If the others don’t value him at that then they are not in the race.” Meanwhile, Asoro, who has one year left on his deal, has suggested that he sees future elsewhere.
Donald hopes that the Swede will eventually stay.
He said: “According his agent, he doesn’t want to stay and doesn’t like the club because of something that has happened. I need to get the bottom of that.
“I’m hoping that if we iron that out with Joel and he has a good conversation with Jack (Ross), then he’ll want to stay.”