Matteo Guendouzi could be on his way back to English football in January, with Sunderland reportedly lining up a transfer bid for the Lazio midfielder.
The 26-year-old is a familiar face to fans of the Premier League having spent two seasons in Arsenal’s first-team following a £7million move from Ligue 1 outfit Lorient in 2018.
But a combination of poor form and indiscipline saw Guendouzi drop down the pecking order at the Emirates and the Frenchman never returned after being sent on two separate loans to Hertha Berlin and Marseille.
It was at Marseille that Guendouzi began to get his stuttering career back on track, with a string of excellent performances even earning the midfielder his first senior cap for the France national team in 2021.
A 2024 loan move to Lazio followed and Guendouzi quickly endeared himself to supporters with his work-rate and tenaciousness in the middle of the park under Maurizio Sarri.
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But Guendouzi has struggled to hit those same heights since joining Lazio on a permanent basis last April, with the club languishing down in tenth place in the Serie A table.
According to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, Sarri maintains a close relationship with Guendouzi having personally recommended the signing after first becoming ‘bewitched’ by the Frenchman during his time as Chelsea boss.
The report suggests that while Lazio are not actively looking to sell Guendouzi, they would be prepared to consider the idea should they receive a ‘lucrative’ offer from a potential suitor this winter.
It’s claimed ‘buyers may emerge from the Premier League’, with Sunderland said to be putting together a proposal ahead of the January transfer window.
Guendouzi would become the second ex-Arsenal midfielder to join Sunderland in the space of six months, following in the footsteps of former team-mate Granit Xhaka.
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Lazio value Guendouzi in the region of €15-20million (£13-17.5m). This money that could be used to tie down other squad members on new and improved contracts.
Guendouzi knows Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris well from his early days at Lorient, when the latter was in charge of the club’s reserve team.
Lazio have already identified Torino’s Ivan Ilic and Bologna’s Giovanni Fabbian as possible replacements should Guendouzi complete a move to the Stadium of Light – or elsewhere – next month.
It’s understood Marseille are set to earn 10 per cent of any future transfer fee for Guendouzi.
When the rumours surrounding Guendouzi first began to circulate last month, Le Bris admitted he still maintained a ‘connection’ with his fellow countryman.
‘We still have connections with players and Matteo is one of these players because I worked with him in Lorient,’ the Sunderland boss told reporters.
‘We stay connected but at the moment, nothing, it’s too early.’
Asked whether Guendouzi would be capable of breaking into his high-flying Sunderland team, Le Bris simply replied: ‘We have really good midfielders. We’ll see.’
Guendouzi’s current contract in Rome runs through to June 2028.
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