Sunderland lodge £19m bid for Bologna star but transfer may be blocked because of Nottingham Forest's signing of Dan Ndoye

According to Calciomercato, Sunderland made a £19 million ($25m) bid for Bologna centre-back Lucumi, hoping to land the Colombian defender ahead of the new season. However, their approach has been met with resistance as Bologna, already weakened by key defensive departures, now seem unwilling to let another starter go.

The Italian side have already lost defender Sam Beukema to Napoli and recently sold Dan Ndoye to Nottingham Forest for a reported €40m (£34m/$43.5m) plus bonuses. With over €70m (£60m/$76m) already earned this summer, CEO Claudio Fenucci is reluctant to dismantle one of Serie A’s strongest backlines by letting Lucumi leave as well. Though Sunderland’s offer reportedly includes €3m per year in wages, the Serie A side are putting the brakes on a deal. The 27-year-old's contract technically runs until 2027, after Bologna exercised a one-year unilateral extension. Earlier in the summer, he had a €28m (£24m/$31m) release clause valid until July 10, but no club triggered it. Now, the Red and Blues are in full control of the situation.

Fenucci hinted at Bologna's transfer stance during Federico Bernardeschi’s presentation, saying: "We won't be making any more major transfers. We're currently talking to Jhon; he has a two-year contract, and the right time for a renewal could be now or even at the end of the transfer window. Until recently, the issue of the release clause was a hot topic; if someone had paid it, we would have had different thoughts about Ndoye."

The Black Cats remain the only club with a concrete offer, despite past interest from Galatasaray, Roma, Aston Villa and Wolves. Lucumi’s agent was recently in Spain to explore options with Villarreal and Atletico Madrid, but no deal materialised. Bologna are holding firm for now. However, if Lucumi chooses not to renew, he could leave next year for a much lower fee.