Matías Soulé to Sunderland
Quiet since 9 July 2026. Last report: Graeme Bailey. Probability when it went quiet: 7%.
Sunderland have made an early, ambitious move for Matías Soulé, the 23-year-old Roma attacker valued at around €35m. The Black Cats are said to have held talks over a deal, with a bid of €28m weighed against Roma's €35m asking price. That is where the story sits: interest expressed, a gap to close, and no agreement in sight. Soulé is under contract until June 2029, which hands Roma every ounce of leverage and no need to sell cheaply. This rests on a single thread. Graeme Bailey, via TEAMtalk, reported the talks, and his standing is solid without being at the very top of the reliability scale. Nobody else has firmed it up. One mid-tier link, now around two weeks old, with no fresh corroboration since. Honestly, this is a long shot for now. For it to move, Sunderland would need to bridge the €28m-to-€35m distance and Roma would have to decide a player tied down for four more years is worth cashing in. The long contract, the quiet since that first report, and the fee gap all pull against it. The money is not outlandish for either club. Soulé cost Roma €28m from Juventus in 2024, and Sunderland have spent at this level before, €32m on a player from R. Strasbourg in 2025 and €24m on a signing from Roma in 2025. So the ambition fits the recent pattern. Watch for a second reliable voice confirming the talks, or an improved bid closer to €35m. Until one of those lands, treat this as early groundwork rather than a deal taking shape.
Who reported it
- Graeme Bailey, 9 July 2026: Sunderland have made an ambitious move to sign Roma forward Matias Soule, with @TEAMtalk understanding the Black Cats have held talks over a potential deal for the highly-rated Arg