Sunderland contract talks with key duo ‘will happen’ in summer window amid interest from Premier League clubs

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Two Sunderland stars, who were pivotal to the club’s promotion, are entering the final year of their current contracts ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Following the Black Cats’ promotion to the Premier League, transfer business has been rife at Sunderland, both in terms of incomings and outgoings.

After Enzo Le Fee “won the most important game of his life”, his loan switch from Roma became permanent as Sunderland’s first summer signing, for a fee estimated to be around £20 million.

Brighton new boy Tommy Watson left Sunderland with a £220m parting gift, thanks to his play-off final winner, and Jobe Bellingham is bound for Borussia Dortmund in the coming days.

However, the latest business from the Black Cats hierarchy regards two mainstay stars and their ongoing contractual situations ahead of next season.

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Sunderland to open contract talks with key duo amid summer transfer window

Sunderland’s 2025/26 retained list highlighted that no senior stars were set to become free agents at the end of June, with many fringe loanees returning to uncertain Wearside futures.

Both Dan Neil and Dennis Cirkin are entering the final 12 months of their current contracts, and this has made Sunderland’s next order of business obvious, given both of the pair’s mainstay presence in the promotion from League One to the Premier League.

However, the necessity to tie both assets down for longer is increased this summer, given that both Neil and Cirkin have attracted Premier League interest this season.

Everton and Roma have shown interest in Neil throughout the campaign, and Wolves have been keeping close tabs on Cirkin.

In a positive update on the duo’s contracts, via the Northern Echo, Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman explained that contract conversations “will happen in the coming weeks”.

He said: “We do a contract review right across the group at the end of every season.

“I think we’re in a strong position with the majority of the group this time around, especially with a lot of the players who have performed at a really high level.

“There are a couple there (Dan Neil and Dennis Cirkin) whose contracts are reducing and we need to have a conversation around that and that will happen in the coming weeks. That’s part of trying to build the squad for next season.”

Sunderland need to strengthen this summer, and have been linked with a £20m move for Monaco defender Wilfried Singo, but they equally can’t afford to let any more first-team regulars depart, especially the aforementioned duo.

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Why Sunderland can’t afford to lose Dan Neil and Dennis Cirkin in summer transfer window

Academy graduate Neil and former Spurs youngster Cirkin were both members of Sunderland’s 2021/22 League One play-off final squad, who won promotion from the third tier under then-boss Alex Neil at the expense of Wycombe Wanderers.

Despite both being only 23-years-old, Neil and Cirkin have a combined 313 games played for Sunderland between them, and in that time have been pivotal to the Black Cats’ double promotions.

The source of Sunderland’s success this season lies within their academy and their youth-first footballing philosophy, focusing on giving young talent the platform to shine.

After the play-off final win, Dortmund-bound Bellingham told Sky Sports: “We showed enough throughout the season for people to at least give us some credit going into the play-offs.

“The typical ‘inexperienced’ by all the ex-pros that speak on Sky, but we’ve just proved that don’t matter.

“You need experience, of course, with youth like at Sunderland you play loads of games you get that experience. You get experience by failing and we failed together so many times and in the end we come good.”

Both Neil and Cirkin’s journeys have been turbulent, and despite being inexperienced in terms of age alone, the battle scars gained from the years in the third tier and Championship are imperative for such a young squad.

Neil was criticised heavily last season for dwelling on the ball too often and being caught unawares in the heart of midfield.

Cirkin has had multiple injury issues since his arrival, causing some supporters to question if he can continue to be the Black Cats’ first-choice left-back.

However, both have passed those tests with flying colours and will be imperative to help Regis Le Bris’ side stave off an instant relegation, and with the morale as high as ever on Wearside, it would seem likely the Sunderland skipper and Cirkin sign on the dotted line this summer to extend their stays.