Continental reporter shares club’s stance on selling £17m Sunderland and Burnley transfer target this summer
FC Nantes have no intention of selling reported Sunderland transfer target Matthis Abline this summer, according to reports.
The Black Cats have been repeatedly linked with the 22-year-old in recent days, as have Premier League rivals Burnley and Brentford, while French outfit Marseille have also been credited with an interest. Indeed, the Ligue 1 side are understood to have already submitted a concrete bid for the player, but are unwilling to meet Nantes’ apparent financial demands.
Initially, it was reported that Abline would cost somewhere in the region of £17 million this summer, but Nantes’ president, Waldemar Kita, has since stated that it would take as much as £42.6 million to prise him away from his current employers.
What is Nantes’ stance on selling reported Sunderland transfer target Matthis Abline?
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What else has been said about reported Sunderland target Matthis Abline?
Nantes president Kita is not the only one who rates Abline highly. Writing on X on Wednesday, journalist Andrés Onrubia Ramos said: “It’s unbelievable that a striker with Abline’s talent isn’t in a European top flight. He’s one of the few things that’s redeemable from France’s U21 match against Portugal so far. His technique is extremely refined, he’s unstoppable when he gets going, and he can play as a number 9 and on the right… This European Championship could crown him.”
One follower then responded: “When Nantes no longer asks for €25m…”, to which Ramos replied: “I think it will cost more than €50m in a few years.
Abline started his career at Stade Rennais, spending loan spells with Le Havre and AJ Auxerre. He signed for Nantes in a deal worth around £8.5 million last summer having spent a temporary stint at the club first. This season, he registered 11 goals and two assists across 36 outings in all competitions, and has scored 32 times in 137 senior appearances over the course of his career thus far.
