Sunderland have made calls to sign the £34m star

One of the main reasons why Sunderland rose to prominence in the Premier League last season was that they nailed their recruitment in the transfer window.

Titles added by players such as Granit Xhaka, Brian Brobbey, and Nordi Mukiele, who joined major European teams were able to hit the ground running at the Stadium of Light.

They have brought in players who are used to playing for big teams in high-pressure games, which means that jumping to the Premier League is something they cannot do.

One signing that went a little under the radar compared to the other examples mentioned was the £19.3m signing of Enzo Le Fee on a permanent deal from Roma.

How Sunderland hit the jackpot with Enzo Le Fee

The French star was not viewed as one of the biggest summer signings alongside the likes of Xhaka and Brobbey because he was already on loan to Roma for the second half of the 2024/25 Championship campaign.

He was a great role model for the team’s recruiting efforts, because they identified him as someone to turn to when he was at a low point in his career.

After joining Roma from Rennes for £19.5m, the attacking midfielder failed to make an impact in Serie A for Roma, making six appearances before moving to Wearside.

He has caught the eye in Ligue 1 with Lorient and Rennes, however, scoring six goals and creating 11 ‘big chances’ in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns combined.

Despite failing to impress at the Roman giants, Sunderland were willing to take a risk on Le Fee due to his form in France, and they have been richly rewarded, after scoring five goals and providing six assists in the Premier League last season.

Sunderland are making calls to sign Enzo Le Fee’s shadow star

Now, with the Europa League campaign just around the corner, the club are gearing up for a new summer of recruitment and Regis Le Bris’ side are already eyeing a player with shades of Le Fee.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Sunderland are one of the clubs in the race to sign Tarik Muharemovic from Sassuolo in the summer transfer window.

The Italian journalist claims that the Black Cats and Bournemouth have both held talks with the Serie A side over a potential deal for the defender.

He adds that fellow Premier League rivals Leeds United have also joined the race for the 23-year-old talent, who was valued at £34m in a previous report.

Interestingly, Muharemovic could arrive at the Stadium of Light as a player with the same experience as Le Fee, but in a different way, as he failed to make the grade at Juventus before signing for Sassuolo in 2025.

The Bosnian international emerged as an exciting defensive prospect at Wolfsberger in Austria before joining Juventus’ academy, but did not feature in the first team before leaving last year.

Just as Le Fee has failed to play regular football for Roma’s first team, Muharemovic has failed to break into Juventus’ Serie A side, but his form at Sassuolo suggests they may have made a mistake.

The 23-year-old star, described as “a giant” by journalist Graham Smyth, won 64% of his ground contests and 64% of his aerial contests in 32 games in Italy’s top flight last season, while making just one mistake that led to a shot or goal.

Omar Alderrete, on the other hand, won 50% of his ground contests and 58% of his aerial contests, while making five mistakes that led to shots or goals, in the Premier League for Sunderland last season.

These statistics suggest that the Bosnian talent, who is a left-back, would be a more dominant and consistent central defensive option for Le Bris compared to Alderrete, hence he would be an excellent addition to the team.

The Black Cats should not be discouraged by his failure to make the grade at Juventus, because they have seen with Le Fee that one failure does not define a player.