Sunderland Linked With Move for £22m Serie A Star Alongside Bournemouth and Juventus

Sunderland are reportedly interested in Sassuolo centre-back Tarik Muharemovic amid the summer transfer window, but face competition from Premier League rivals Bournemouth and Italian giants Juventus for his signature. 

According to Italian reporter Luca Cilli of Dello Sport, Sunderland and Bournemouth are ahead of Juventus in the running for Muharemovic, with the Old Lady said to be “quite a way behind” the Premier League duo in the race for the Sassuolo star given that he left Juve just two years ago.

Bosnia and Herzegovina international Muharemovic established himself as one of the most exciting young central defenders in Serie A last season, featuring 32 times in the Italian top flight and notching four goal contributions.

Over the course of last season, Muharemovic ranked in the top four percentile of Serie A central defenders in terms of defensive contributions - with 342 in 32 games - which showcases how much of an effective defender he is. 

The most recent campaign was his second full campaign for Sassuolo, after he arrived initially on loan from Juventus for the 2024/25 season, during which he featured 28 times in the Serie B to play a crucial role in his side’s promotion back to the Italian top flight. 

Muharemovic continued after his impressive form with Sassuolo into this summer’s World Cup campaign, during which he featured three times in the group stage for Bosnia but was dismissed with a straight red card in their final Group B clash in a 4-1 defeat to Switzerland. 

From Sunderland’s point of view, the addition of Muharemovic would be a sensible and stellar signing for the Stadium of Light hierarchy to make heading into next season’s Premier League and Europa League campaigns.

As well as being a consummate defender, what makes Muharemovic such an appealing prospect, is that he is a rare profile of player in terms of being a naturally left-footed centre-back. 

Akin to Sunderland stalwart Omar Alderete, having a left-footed central defender makes progression of possession and aids Regis Le Bris’ side to play out from the back so much more simply. 

Although Alderete has cemented that left centre-back role as his own for Sunderland this season, the Paraguayan international has had issues throughout the season and at the 2026 World Cup.

Therefore, Sunderland seemingly see Muharemovic as direct cover and competition for Alderete, and the Sassuolo centre-back could be the potential heir to his role in the heart of defence. 

Financially, the Bosnian’s reported £22m transfer market value would warrant a significant investment from Sunderland, but considering his proven qualities and potential to develop even further at just 23-years-old, Muharemovic ticks a lot of boxes for the Black Cats’ transfer team.