Sunderland Pursue Matias Soule in £30m Reunion Deal
Sunderland are not easing themselves back onto the European stage. They are kicking the door down.
The club have opened talks to sign Roma forward Matias Soule, with the ambitious move quickly emerging as one of Florent Ghisolfi’s headline projects of the summer.
The 23-year-old Argentina international is high on Sunderland’s list and not by accident. Ghisolfi knows exactly what he is chasing.
Ghisolfi’s Roma connection
Ghisolfi was the man who took Soule to Roma from Juventus in 2024 during his spell as the Italian club’s sporting director. Now, from a very different vantage point on Wearside, he is trying to pull off a reunion that would send a clear message about Sunderland’s intentions at home and abroad.
Initial contact has already been made. Soule’s camp have indicated the versatile attacker is open to the move and keen to test himself in the Premier League. That response has encouraged Sunderland to push on with the negotiations rather than treat the enquiry as a speculative punt.
Roma, for their part, are ready to cash in. They are prepared to sanction Soule’s exit this summer and are understood to be looking for a fee in the region of £30million (€35m / $40m).
Built for Le Bris’s front line
Soule’s appeal is obvious to those inside the club. Comfortable across the entire front line, he fits the profile Regis Le Bris wants: mobile, technically sharp, and adaptable enough to cope with the demands of a season that will stretch across domestic and European fronts.
Within Sunderland, the view is that Soule would not just deepen the squad, but instantly raise the level of the starting XI. He is seen as a signing for now and for the next phase of the project, not a short-term gamble to ride the wave of European qualification.
Crucially, the finances are not expected to derail the chase. Sunderland have positioned themselves to make at least one marquee attacking addition, and Soule sits right at the heart of those plans.
Sales fuel the statement
That financial power has not appeared from nowhere. The club are in the process of completing the sale of Ivory Coast winger Simon Adingra, while Eliezer Mayenda’s move to Rennes has already brought in a significant fee.
Those deals have given Sunderland room to move, but there is no sense of recklessness. Sources insist the hierarchy remain acutely aware of both UEFA and Premier League financial regulations, and every piece of business this summer is being structured with those guardrails in mind.
The mindset is clear: build on last season’s success, don’t bask in it. Sunderland want to strengthen, not simply hold their ground and hope.
That stance has already been underlined by their refusal to entertain exits for key figures. The club’s position on captain Granit Xhaka and midfielder Noah Sadiki remains firm despite growing interest from elsewhere. Core pieces are being protected while new quality is sought.
A deal shaped by trust
Soule sits at the crossroads of all these strands. He is regarded as a player capable of making an immediate impact while still fitting the long-term recruitment strategy that has underpinned Sunderland’s resurgence.
Ghisolfi’s existing relationship with both Soule and Roma is expected to be a crucial factor as talks develop. He has already signed the player once. He knows the personalities involved, the levers to pull, the compromises that might be possible.
If Sunderland can turn that familiarity into an agreement, they will walk into their European campaign with a £30m statement leading the line and a clear answer to the question facing every club that overachieves: do you dare to go again, even harder?
