Sunderland face paying £10m for flop they rejected
SUNDERLAND are bracing themselves for a £10million bill for a player they do not own. Loan flop Ricky Alvarez was sent back to Inter Milan at the end of the 2014-15 season despite a contractual obligation that Sunderland would buy the Argentina winger should they avoid relegation. They claimed Inter had hesitated over a knee operation Alvarez needed and that the Italian club were in breach of the agreement. FIFA ruled in favour of Inter but Sunderland appealed and the Court of Arbitration for Sport are now set to deliver a final verdict on the saga. Some at the Stadium of Light privately fear a financial hit in the region of £10m, putting a severe dent in a transfer kitty David Moyes hopes will be available to strengthen his bottom-placed side in January. Alvarez — unwanted by both clubs — became a free agent before eventually signing for Sampdoria in December last year. He scored just once during 11 appearances for Sunderland and looked way short of Premier League standard. Meanwhile, Sunderland’s highly regarded French scout Fabrice Asensio has died from a heart attack at the age of 50. Asensio helped then manager Sam Allardyce secure the signings of Lamine Kone and Wahbi Khazri in January and both played a key part in the team’s escape from relegation. Indeed, Kone — a £5m arrival from Lorient — was the subject of an £18m approach from Everton this summer. Moyes then broke the club’s transfer record in August with the £13.6m signing of midfielder Didier Ndong from Lorient.