5 free agents Sunderland AFC could seal bargain transfers for this summer | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at five out of contract stars that the Black Cats could swoop for this summer.

Sunderland will be hoping to conduct their summer 2025 transfer business as a Premier League club once again.

The Black Cats are loving life under new boss Regis Le Bris, with the former Lorient manager enjoying a highly fruitful debut season at the Stadium of Light.

His Sunderland side boast one of the most potent attack forces in the Championship, whilst their defence is one of the toughest and watertight units in the division so far this term.

With a squad laden with largely young, talented and highly sellable assets, the future appears bright on Wearside. Everywhere you look in Le Bris' side, you will find highly shrewd pieces of business.

So, with the end of the season providing fertile ground for bargain buys in the free agent market, Football League World takes a look at five set to be summer free agents that Sunderland could swoop for.

Nicolo Bertola - Spezia

Sunderland find themselves in an interesting position regarding their centre-back department. Luke O'Nien continues to be an integral part of the backline, but both Chris Mepham and Dan Ballard find themselves in somewhat uncertain situations.

Bournemouth loanee Mepham is only on loan with the Black Cats until the end of the season, and despite his contract with the Cherries scheduled to expire in the summer, the Premier League side do have the option to trigger a 12-month extension.

The Welsh international's performances have been keeping Ballard out of the starting XI in recent weeks, and with just Joe Anderson, Jenson Seelt and Leo Hjelde for backup options, Le Bris may well feel as though he needs to strengthen the heart of his defence in the summer.

21-year-old Spezia centre-back Nicolo Bertola would be an intriguing option. The Italian youth international has been starring for the Serie B side over the last two seasons, and has been strongly linked with a number of Serie A clubs as well as Rangers with his contract expiring in the summer.

However, Sunderland's track record of nurturing and improving young talent would have to appeal to any young player, and should the Black Cats win promotion to the Premier League, he may well be up for testing himself in English football's top flight.

Even if the Wearsiders are resigned to another season in the Championship, Le Bris has shown with the Enzo Le Fee deal that he can still attract Serie A talent to the second tier, and so they shouldn't abandon hope if that is to be the case.

Jonjoe Kenny - Hertha Berlin

A name that will be familiar to a number of English football fans, former Everton star Jonjoe Kenny almost completed a move to the Championship in the January window.

Sheffield United looked set to complete a deal for the Hertha Berlin right-back, but the move collapsed in the final days of the winter transfer window.

The 27-year-old made it clear that he wanted the move to the Blades, which would have seen him return to these shores for the first time since departing Everton for Hertha in the summer of 2022.

An attacking full-back, Kenny has been in fine form for the 2. Bundesliga side in recent times, scoring goals and providing plenty of assists during his time in the German capital.

With Sunderland's natural strength in depth at the right-back position behind Trai Hume consisting solely of Nial Huggins, who has been struggling with injury problems for some time now, the Black Cats may need to bolster their options on the right flank of the defence.

The out of contract defender has plenty of experience in the Premier League from his time as a youngster at Goodison Park, and having also spent time in the Bundesliga with Hertha and the Scottish Premiership with Celtic, the Englishman has proven himself to be a quality player at a variety of levels across European football.

Dereck Kutesa - Servette

Left-wing could be a potential need for Sunderland heading into the summer. Le Fee will return to parent club Roma, leaving just Romaine Mundle and Tom Watson as the remaining senior options at the position.

Mundle has been sidelined for a number of months this season with a hamstring problem, with the nature of those sorts of injuries always having the possibility of providing repetitive setbacks for a player.

Watson, on the other hand, was the subject of major deadline day interest from Brighton, with the Seagulls understood to be planning on rekindling their interest in the teenager in the summer.

As such, Sunderland may well be looking for a new addition on their left flank in the summer, and out of contract Servette star Dereck Kutesa could be one the Black Cats cast their eye over.

The 27-year-old is reported to have turned down a move to Egyptian side Al Ahly Sporting Club in the winter window, instead preferring to see what his options are as a free agent at the end of the season.

Having bagged 14 goals in his first 27 appearances of the season heading into their Swiss Super League clash with Basel on 9 February, the Switzerland international has recorded 81 shots (38 on target), 54 successful dribbles, 129 touches in the opposition box and 117 duels won in his first 22 appearances in the league this season - per FotMob.

Kutesa has been a chance-creating, goalscoring, dribbling demon on the wing for Servette since signing for them from French side Reims in September 2022, and he appears ready to test himself elsewhere this summer.

Dejan Ljubicic - FC Köln

Sunderland boast arguably the best central midfield group in the Championship this season, with Jobe Bellingham, Dan Neil and Chris Rigg all playing at an extremely high level so far this term.

However, all of them will be catching the eye of top clubs across European football, and regardless of what division the Black Cats are plying their trade in next season, they face a realistic possibility of losing one of their midfield stars.

With 29-year-old Alan Browne suffering a broken bone in his leg back in November, that could prove to be a troublesome injury for him to recover from, whilst Salis Abdul Samed will return to parent club Lens at the conclusion of the campaign.

Therefore, a new addition to Le Bris' engine room may be required this summer, and out of contract FC Köln midfielder Dejan Ljubicic could be a realistic option for Sunderland.

Having been strongly linked with a move to Leeds United in the summer window, the 27-year-old has been in fine form for the German second tier side this season, with the Austrian international bagging a handful of goals and assists so far this term.

Showing a willingness to make the move to English football, he may not require much persuading should Sunderland approach him, and he would provide an experienced and proven Bundesliga player to Le Bris' midfield.

Tyrhys Dolan - Blackburn Rovers

Sunderland could also be looking to bolster their options on the right-wing for next season, with Patrick Roberts only being backed up by Ian Poveda.

Blackburn Rovers star Tyrhys Dolan is heading towards the free agent market in the summer, and if he can't agree a new contract at Ewood Park, he would surely draw serious interest from a host of Championship clubs.

The 23-year-old has been shining for Rovers in the second tier since making his first-team breakthrough in the 2020/21 season. A superb dribbler with pace and direct running, Dolan could be an excellent complement to Roberts, as well as providing him with major competition for a starting role.