Sunderland and Inter Heat Up Competition for Lukumi and Moharimovic

The competition for the signatures of defenders John Lukumi and Tarek Moharimovic has intensified, with both Sunderland and Inter Milan entering the race, potentially complicating Juventus's plans during the summer transfer window.

According to "Football Italia," Juventus has been working for some time to sign Lukumi, the Bologna defender, whose contract includes a release clause of €28 million until mid-July, alongside their interest in Moharimovic, the Sassuolo defender, of whom the club holds 50% of the resale value.

The report, citing "La Gazzetta dello Sport," added that Sunderland has a budget exceeding €100 million, allowing them to pay Lukumi's release clause or meet Sassuolo's financial demands of €40 million to part with Moharimovic, in addition to covering the player's salary, estimated between €3 and €4 million annually.

Football Italia noted that Inter has also entered negotiations following the departures of Francesco Acerbi, Stefan de Vrij, and Matteo Darmian, with "Tuttosport" reporting that the club has begun moves to sign Lukumi while maintaining interest in Moharimovic for some time.

Despite the fierce competition, Juventus could benefit from market developments, as Moharimovic's transfer to Sunderland would yield around €20 million from the resale percentage, which could be invested in signing Lukumi, while the English club's acquisition of the Colombian defender could pave the way for Juventus to finalize the deal for Moharimovic.