Sunderland have reignited their interest in signing Chuba Akpom from Ajax, with the Eredivisie giants looking to offload the Englishman this summer.
Sunderland Reignite Interest In Ajax’s Akpom
Chuba Akpom is drawing interest from newly-promoted Premier League side Sunderland.
The Black Cats are in the market for a new striker, and Akpom, whom they were linked with last January, is included on their list of transfer targets ahead of the new campaign.
Ajax are looking to offload the former Arsenal star as they look to trim down their wage bill.
He spent the second half of last term on loan at Lille, and upon his return to the Netherlands, he was informed by Ajax that he was not welcome to train with the first-team this summer.
According to reports, Akpom was one of seven players that received a WhatsApp message from technical director Alex Kroes saying that they should begin their search for a new club. This is despite the fact that he still has three years remaining on his contract in the Dutch capital.
Regis Le Bris’ side are now looking to take advantage of his availability.
Additionally, Akpom, who turns 30-years-old in October, is keen on returning to England after spending the last two years overseas and prefers a move to the Premier League.
A move to the Stadium of Light certainly makes sense, and would likely come at a cut-price, with the Eredivisie giants keen to sell. Akpom joined Ajax from Middlesbrough for a fee exceeding £10m in 2023 off the back of finishing as the Championship’s top scorer in 2022/23.
He isn’t the only striker that Sunderland hold an interest in, however. Lyon’s Georges Mikautadze and Nice’s Evann Guessand are also reported as transfer targets for the North East club.
Elsewhere, Sunderland have been linked with West Ham target Kyle Walker-Peters.
Akpom Stats: What Does He Bring to the Table?
Last season, Akpom registered a total of 11 goals and two assists for both Ajax and Lille across all competitions. Most notably, he netted a hat-trick for the former in Europa League qualifying.
His most prolific season undoubtedly came in 2022/23, which, as previously mentioned, is when he finished the season as top scorer in the Championship for Middlesbrough.
He ended the campaign with a total of 28 goals and two assists in 38 league appearances.
Thanks to his excellent goal-scoring season, he won the league’s Player of the Season award.
However, he is yet to prove himself in the English top-flight. Akpom has made just four appearances in the division throughout his career and is without a single Premier League goal.
Whether his goalscoring form in the second tier can be translated to the first tier is unknown, and Sunderland would undoubtedly be taking a punt in trying to find out, but if they are able to get the best out of him, they’ll have a real valuable asset on their hands.
At the time of writing, the Black Cats are favoured to suffer relegation to the Championship. The best football betting sites in the UK have them as the 1/3 favourites to go straight back down.
