Sunderland Suffer Transfer Blow As Two Premier League Rivals Enter Tarik Muharemovic Race

Unfortunately for Sunderland, Bournemouth and Juventus, two new potential Premier League suitors for Sassuolo centre-back Tarik Murahemovic have entered the race to sign the defender.

Earlier in the week, reports emerged that Sunderland were interested in signing Sassuolo defender Murahemovic this summer, but now two further top flight outfits have been linked with a move, in the form of arch-rivals Newcastle United and Leeds United.

According to the latest report from transfer journalist Nicolo Schira, the Premier League quartet are in the race to sign the 23-year-old Bosnian defender, with his former club Juventus also interested.

However, that move is complicated given he was sold from Juve to Sassuolo two summers ago, and the Italian giants would be due a 50% sell-on clause from his seemingly impending summer move.

In addition to the new Premier League sides joining the race, Sassuolo's reported asking price for the central defender has been stipulated by the latest update, with the Italian said to value Murahemovic at the €40m/£34m mark.

From a Sunderland perspective, this ambitious move would constitute a new club-record signing and knock Habib Diarra's £30m move from Strasbourg last summer off the top spot.

However, considering the profile, calibre, and potential of Murahemovic, he could very well be worth every penny.

Regarding Murahemovic, he is a rare commodity in football, being a naturally left-footed central defender, with those types of players often coming at more of a premium due to their ability to help naturally play out of the backline in possession.

With Bournemouth, he would cover the loss Marcos Senesi to Tottenham Hotspur. Newcastle are in desperate need of a successor for the ageing Dan Burn, and Leeds have just sold Pascal Struijk to top flight foes Brighton and Hove Albion.

From a Sunderland perspective, Omar Alderete was impressive over the course of his debut campaign at the Stadium of Light last season, but has had consistent small injury issues during his time as a Black Cat, and also suffered time on the treatment table during his World Cup campaign for Paraguay.

Also with Murahemovic, his defensive analytics from last season at Sassuolo were outstanding, with the centre-half ranking in the top five percent of similar players for defensive contributions at 342 (according to Fotmob data).

Due to his left-footed profile, ability in possession, and stellar defensive statistics, Murahemovic is the epitome of the modern-day central defender, and it is no surprise that several Premier League sides are fighting for his signature this summer.

However, with him having the potential to be a long-term successor and possible upgrade on Alderete, the Black Cats faithful will be desperate to see Sunderland win the intense transfer race for his services.