Bundesliga interest could shift defender
HANNOVER HAVE MADE DJILOBODJI A KEY TARGET
SUNDERLAND’S chances of selling Papy Djilobodji look to have improved with Hannover making him their top central defensive target
At the weekend it was reported Djilobodji would travel to Turkey yesterday to complete a loan to Trabzonspor after the Super Lig club persuaded Sunderland to lend them the player.
There was no confirmation from the Stadium of Light.
Hannover, who made their interest in the 29-year-old public earlier this month, are said to have abandoned plans to buy Norwich City’s Timm Klose and will now step up their efforts to sign Djilobodji.
Klose was thought to have agreed personal terms with the Bundesliga club but the Canaries are digging their heels in, causing Hannover to look to Djilobodji.
They have already lost central defender Timo Hubers to cruciate ligament damage this season.
Klose’s contract is up at the end of the season, a situation they had been hoping to exploit.
Sunderland need to cut ties with the defender after he refused to report back to the Stadium of Light at the end of his season-long loan with Dijon.
Along with Didier Ndong, he has not been back at his parent club in an attempt to force a move. He has not been paid this summer as a result.
Djilobodji is thought to be on £33,000-a-week at Sunderland, far too much for a League One player let alone someone not playing for a League One side.
The Black Cats need to bringtheir wage bill down to allow them to sign more players without falling foul of the Football League’s financial fair play rules.
New owner Stewart Donald also made commitments about reducing it to win league approval for his takeover of the club.
A loan would be a sticking plaster, but would at least be a help.
Trabzonspor are said to be prepared to include an option to buy, but Watford did that when they took Ndong on loan for the second half of the season but did not trigger it after he failed to play a single minute for them.
Trabzonspor have tried to sign Djilobodji in the past but were outmuscled by Chelsea when he left Nantes in 2015. The Blues sold him on to Sunderland for £8m in 2016. It was about three times what they paid for him, despite the Senegal international’s only senior appearance coming as an 89th-minute substitute in a League Cup tie at Walsall. He had a successful Bundesliga loan spell with Werder Bremen in the first half of 2016.
Djilobodji has made 24 appearances for the Black Cats.
He spent last season on a seasonlong loan at Dijon and there was a suggestion earlier this month they had shown interest - but Los Angeles FC’s Belgian captain Laurent Ciman is their top defensive target.
Hannover have until Friday to complete a deal, whereas the Turk- ish transfer window does not close until Saturday.
Ndong is said to be interesting Benfica. Torino agreed a £6.6m fee for the Gabonese midfielder in June but the deal collapsed because they were not prepared to meet his personal terms. Sunderland paid £13.6m for Ndong in 2016 and could take around £5.5m from Benfica. .