Chelsea are close to agreeing a €25 million deal with Sunderland for Djordje Petrovic, according to a report.
The Serbia international requested not to be included in the Blues’ Club World Cup squad as he wants to leave the club after being shipped out on loan last term.
Heading into the summer, it was initially expected that Petrovic would be given a second chance by head coach Enzo Maresca, but the 25-year-old clearly wants to be an undisputed No.1 after being crowned Player of the Season at BlueCo affiliate Strasbourg.
Petrovic has been fielding interest from all around Europe, with clubs in Germany and France exploring deals for the brilliant shot-stopper. However, he now looks set to complete a transfer within England that has come completely out of the blue.
According to transfer insider Sacha Tavolieri, Petrovic is on the verge of joining Sunderland in a lucrative deal for Chelsea.
Petrovic to join Sunderland
The journalist reports that the newly-promoted side are ‘close to finalising’ an agreement with the Blues and Petrovic, who is set to commit to a five-year deal at the Stadium of Light.
Chelsea will reportedly pocket a handsome €25 million, a significant profit on their €16m investment in 2023. Petrovic currently has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €19.7m.
The deal is also another sign of Sunderland’s ambition, with the Black Cats spending heavily in a bid to avoid the same fate the other promoted sides suffered over the past two seasons.
Sunderland have shattered their club record twice so far this summer, first when they made Enzo Le Fee’s loan from Roma permanent for €23m and then again when they signed Strasbourg captain Habib Diarra for €31.5m.
According to Sky Sports, Sunderland are not the only Premier League club interested in Petrovic as Bournemouth are also keen after missing out on Kepa Arrizabalaga – another now-former Chelsea keeper – to Arsenal.
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