Sunderland's Ambitious £30m Move for Roma's Matias Soule

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 in what would be one of the statement transfers of the summer, with the Argentina international emerging as a priority target for sporting director Florent Ghisolfi.

Ghisolfi’s reunion plan

This is not a speculative punt on a fashionable name. Ghisolfi knows exactly what he is chasing.

He was the man who took Soule to Roma from Juventus in 2024 during his spell as sporting director at the Stadio Olimpico. Now, from Wearside, he is trying to pull off a reunion that would send a clear message about Sunderland’s ambitions at home and in Europe.

Initial contact has already been made. Soule’s camp have indicated the 23-year-old is open to the move and keen to test himself in the Premier League. That response has encouraged Sunderland to push on and explore a deal rather than simply register interest and walk away.

Roma, for their part, are ready to cash in. The Italian club are prepared to sanction Soule’s departure this summer and are understood to be seeking a fee in the region of £30million (€35m / $40m).

For a club that once sweated over far smaller numbers, Sunderland’s stance is striking. Finances, at this stage, are not expected to be the stumbling block.

Building around Le Bris

Regis Le Bris is preparing for a season that will stretch his squad across multiple fronts. European football is back on the agenda, and with it comes the need for depth, flexibility and a higher technical ceiling.

Soule ticks those boxes. Roma have used him across the front line, and Sunderland view that versatility as a major asset rather than a quirk. Internally, he is seen as the kind of attacking talent who can walk straight into Le Bris’s plans and lift the level of those around him.

This is not a short-term gamble. Sunderland believe Soule fits their long-term recruitment strategy: young, high-upside, but already capable of delivering immediately in a demanding league.

Ghisolfi’s existing relationship with both the player and Roma is expected to be central to negotiations. He knows how Soule works, how Roma negotiate, and where the deal can be shaped. Sunderland hope that familiarity can tilt a competitive market in their favour.

Sales that fuel ambition

The move for Soule does not come out of nowhere. It is being underpinned by careful, and lucrative, outgoing business.

Sunderland are in the process of finalising the sale of Ivory Coast winger Simon Adingra, while Eliezer Mayenda’s switch to Rennes has already brought in a significant fee. Those deals have given the club the financial headroom to chase another marquee signing rather than simply patch holes.

At the same time, there is no sense of a fire sale. Sunderland have already made their stance clear on key figures. Captain Granit Xhaka and midfielder Noah Sadiki are not being pushed towards the exit despite growing interest from elsewhere. The message is blunt: this is a squad to build on, not break up.

So the model is evolving, not collapsing. Sell well, reinvest aggressively, but keep the core intact.

Walking the financial tightrope

Ambition still has to live within the rules. Sunderland know that.

Sources stress the club remain acutely aware of both UEFA and Premier League financial regulations. Every move this summer is being structured with those frameworks in mind. That means fees, wages and add-ons are being balanced carefully, even as the club target high-profile names.

The plan is clear: strengthen from a position of success, not stand still and hope last season’s momentum carries over. European football can expose any squad that tries to coast.

Soule has become the symbol of that intent. A 23-year-old Argentina international, schooled in Serie A, comfortable across the front line, and available at a price that reflects both risk and potential reward.

If Sunderland can turn talks into an agreement with Roma, and then into a signature, the deal would reshape the perception of what this team can be in the coming years.

The question now is simple: can Ghisolfi’s past in Rome unlock Sunderland’s future in Europe?