7 days ago
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
NI defender set to be part of bidding war as Premier League and La Liga clubs circle
The 23-year-old full-back, who was excellent in their Play-Off Final win over Sheffield United to ensure Régis le Bris' side would return to the top tier for the first time since 2017, is understood to not only be on the radar of Everton and Wolves but also several La Liga teams.
Seen as a modern full-back who is capable of both doing the defensive and offensive side of the game, Hume has long has his admirers after having nine goal involvements for Sunderland in the Championship last season, three of which were goals.
Now it has emerged that Everton and Wolves are the two front-runners from the Premier League for his signatures, the former in particular keen to secure his signature as a replacement for Seamus Coleman.
The Republic of Ireland international has not yet signed a new deal for next season with the Toffees but, even if he does, after several injury-impacted seasons David Moyes will surely be looking to who will replace him long-term.
Similarly, Wolves are on the look-out for a new right-back as they continue to struggle to agree fresh terms with captain Nélson Semedo, whose contract expires in just a few weeks.
Fenerbahce star Bright Osayi-Samuel has been a name bandied around Molineux, however it is believed that Hume has emerged as a leading contender to fill the gap left by the Portuguese international.
An obstacle to any potential deal is that Hume, who is already tied down to Sunderland until 2027, has a team option in his contract to extend his stay at the Stadium of Light by a further year, which could be exercised in order to drive up his value even further.
Sunderland will also be keen not to lose another key piece of their promotion squad, especially since Hume has been with them since they were in League One and that they are also set to lose Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund.
The Wearside club have reportedly agreed a £30million deal with the German side, who previously had Bellingham's brother Jude on their books, which would represent a rough start to their summer dealings on their return to the Premier League.
Any potential transfer would be good news for Linfield, however, as they are due to receive 15 per cent of Hume's sell-on fee when he leaves Sunderland, a clause that was written into the £150,000 transfer that sent the defender to the Stadium of Light from Windsor Park back in January 2022.
With Hume valued at £15million, that could lead to around £2.25million coming back into the Linfield coffers, a significant windfall for the Sports Direct Premiership champions.
