French football club FC Nantes has reportedly rejected an offer from English side Sunderland for their 22-year-old centre-forward, Matthis Abline. The information comes from a report by Ouest-France.
Sunderland is actively exploring the French transfer market as they aim to strengthen their squad in preparation for their anticipated return to the Premier League. Among their targets, Habib Diarra is reportedly close to completing a move. In the forward department, several players have been identified, including Georges Mikautadze from Olympique Lyonnais and Abline. The Black Cats had reportedly gone as far as submitting a formal bid for the France youth international striker.
According to sources cited by Foot Mercato, Sunderland`s bid for Abline was worth €20 million. However, Ouest-France now confirms that this offer has been declined by Nantes. The Nantes hierarchy recently asserted that the club is not under any pressure to sell players this summer. To consider parting ways with Abline, who joined from local rivals Stade Rennais just last summer, Nantes is demanding a substantially higher transfer fee.
Earlier in the transfer window, Nantes owner Waldemar Kita made headlines by stating that if Olympique de Marseille wanted the player, they would have to pay €50 million. This significantly elevated valuation was linked to Kita`s past contentious interactions with Marseille and is not necessarily representative of the price demanded from other interested clubs.
