Leicester City react as Sunderland AFC launch late £10m transfer bid | OneFootball

Kasey McAteer has emerged as a late transfer target for Sunderland, with Leicester City rejecting a loan-to-buy approach for the forward.

Sunderland have had a loan bid rejected for Leicester City winger Kasey McAteer, according to The Athletic.

A bid from Sunderland which includes an obligation of around £8 million rising to £10 million with add-ons has been knocked back by the Foxes, as per David Ornstein.

In many ways, it came as a surprise to see Leicester's talented young winger stay with the club beyond the summer, and even more so considering his lack of game time in the Premier League this season.

McAteer was very important to the Foxes' Championship title charge last season, and bagged six league goals in 23 appearances and just 13 starts to help them to promotion, but has been handed fewer Premier League chances.

Sunderland bid rejected by Leicester for Kasey McAteer

He has been largely restricted to fleeting substitute appearances under new boss Steve Cooper and then his successor Ruud van Nistelrooy this term after he unfortunately suffered a couple of injuries that hampered his season towards the end of the last campaign under Enzo Maresca.

McAteer is a product of Leicester City’s academy, having played for the club’s U-18 and U-21 teams before featuring heavily for the first-team last season. The 2023/24 season was a very memorable one for the 22-year-old, as it was when he became a part of the first team on a regular basis.

Republic of Ireland international McAteer was heavily linked with loan moves to the likes of Cardiff City and Hull City throughout the last transfer window after being a key part of Leicester's 2023/24 Championship title-winning campaign, but didn't end up departing the King Power Stadium.

He has had spells on loan at AFC Wimbledon and Forest Green Rovers previously on loan and enters the final year of his contract this year. The club's return to the Premier League may have put his minutes in doubt, with the side signing Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Issahaku Fatawu in his position this summer.

Now, with Sunderland eyeing late deals for attacking players to bolster Regis Le Bris' attacking ranks, McAteer has emerged as one such option, with an obligation of £8 million rising to beyond £10 million in add-ons rejected by his current side, according to David Ornstein.

McAteer deal eyed by Sunderland late in the window

The Republic of Ireland international can be a very effective player in the second tier when given a chance to shine, and was a standout in terms of his average rate of goal-scoring last season, as well as his impressive work-rate on and off the ball.

Although most Sunderland fans are probably expecting a striker more than a wide forward before the deadline, Wilson Isidor's permanent signature has perhaps shifted focus to more multi-faceted forwards.

McAteer operates predominantly as a right-sided winger, with the ability to shoot well off either foot. It is likely that he would compete for Patrick Roberts' starting berth if a deal materialises prior to tonight's 11PM deadline.