Exclusive: Sunderland Plot Ambitious January Swoop for Matteo Guendouzi with Napoli in the Mix

Sunderland face a battle to land Matto Guendouzi in the January transfer window, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.

The Black Cats have made an incredible start on their Premier League return this season and are sat in seventh place a third of the way through the campaign.

Bosses on the red and white side of the north east splashed the cash in the summer ahead of their long-awaited return to the top flight.

A total of 15 players joined the club, although loan striker Marc Guiu was recalled by Chelsea following Liam Delap’s injury, for a sum of around £180million. 

But they are not intent on resting on their laurels and our sources have been told they are in hot pursuit of former Arsenal midfielder.

It is understood Lazio would be open to offers in the region of £25million for the 26-year-old, who has been capped 14 times by France.

Lazio are in a precarious situation in terms of their finances and need to sell this window.

It is believed that Guendouzi is not overly keen on a move back to England and would prefer to stay in Serie A.

And that could open the door for defending champions Napoli, who have hit a bump in the road this season.

Antonio Conte is openly a huge admirer of the player and believes adding him to a squad which already contains Kevin De Bruyne, Ramus Holland and Scott McTominay could really give the club's title hopes a shot in the arm.

Newcastle United are also reportedly interested in the player and it is understood AC Milan are also monitoring Lazio’s predicament ahead of a potential bid.

Sunderland could be set to lose Dennis Cirkin in January, despite his recent return to the first-team fold, with Spurs and Bournemouth reportedly having made enquiries about the left-back.

Top Signing

Guendouzi came through the renowned PSG academy and moved from Lorient to Arsenal in 2018 for around £7million. 

But he failed to hit the high notes during his time in London and was twice loaned out before joining Marseille permanently in 2022.

After 73 league outings for the French side, he went on loan to Lazio on deadline day in 2023 with the Italian outfit triggering their £15million option to buy.