Sunderland Target Roma's Matias Soule in £30m Transfer

Sunderland are pushing hard to land Roma forward Matias Soule in what would be one of the standout transfers of the summer – and a clear statement of intent before their return to European football.

Talks have been opened with Roma and with the player’s camp, with Sunderland confident enough to explore a deal after receiving encouragement from Soule’s representatives. The Argentina international is understood to be open to testing himself in the Premier League, a green light that has energised the Black Cats’ pursuit.

At the heart of the move is sporting director Florent Ghisolfi, the architect of last summer’s impressive rebuild and now the driving force behind another ambitious window. Ghisolfi knows Soule as well as anyone. He took him to Roma from Juventus in 2024 during his spell as sporting director in the Italian capital, and is now attempting to bring the 23-year-old to Wearside for a reunion in a very different setting.

Roma, for their part, are ready to cash in. The Italian club are prepared to sanction Soule’s departure and are looking for a fee in the region of £30 million (€35m / $40m). That figure would place Soule firmly in the “marquee signing” bracket for Sunderland, but the numbers are not expected to derail the move.

Crucially, Sunderland believe they are in a strong financial position to act. The club are in the process of completing the sale of Ivory Coast winger Simon Adingra and have already banked a significant sum from Eliezer Mayenda’s switch to Rennes. Those deals have created room for another major addition without forcing Sunderland into uncomfortable territory.

Inside the club, Soule is seen as exactly the kind of attacking profile Regis Le Bris needs for a season that will stretch the squad across domestic and European fronts. Comfortable across the entire front line, the Roma man offers flexibility, creativity and depth in one package. Sunderland view him as a player who can walk straight into the side and raise the level, while still fitting a long-term recruitment model built around age, resale value and upside.

The ambition is clear, but so is the caution. Sunderland are acutely aware of both UEFA and Premier League financial regulations and are said to be carefully structuring their business to stay on the right side of the rules. The idea is to build on last season’s success, not gamble it away.

That approach has already been evident in their stance on key players. The club have made it clear they intend to keep captain Granit Xhaka and midfielder Noah Sadiki despite mounting interest from elsewhere. The message is simple: this is a squad to strengthen, not to strip.

Soule, then, becomes the next piece in a project that is accelerating rather than pausing. Ghisolfi is banking on his existing relationship with Roma and with the player to help move negotiations along, aware that familiarity can be a powerful lever when big money and competition are involved.

If Sunderland can turn this pursuit into a signature, it will not just be another transfer. It will be a marker. A club back in Europe, willing to spend, and unafraid to chase the kind of talent that once felt out of reach.