Sunderland are considering a £5 million move for Cardiff City midfielder Jordon Mutch.
The 22 year old has been of interest to The Black Cats all summer but The Sunderland Echo reports that the club will need to up their valuation of the player if they want to secure his services.
The North East club has already shown interest in the young midfielder, with a bid of £3.5 million believed to have been made in June. It now appears that Cardiff value Mutch at £5 million, meaning Sunderland will have to increase their offer in order to land him.
However, a negotiated fee may still be possible as the player only has a year remaining on his contract and the Welsh side may want to cash in before he can leave for free next summer. Whatever the case, Gus Poyet will be keen to land the man who he has shown significant interest in since the end of the last season.
Mutch began his career at Derby County before making a move to Birmingham City in 2007. He spent time at loan at a number of clubs between 2009 and 2011, including Watford and Doncaster Rovers.
In 2012, amongst financial difficulty at the midlands club, he was sold to Cardiff City for an undisclosed fee. He has since gone on to make over 50 appearances for the Welsh outfit, scoring 7 goals.
The midfielder has also made appearances for England at youth level, playing for the U21, U20 and U19 sides.
Sunderland have already made a number of signings since the transfer window opened. Jordi Gomez joined from Championship side Wigan while defender Billy left West Brom to play at The Stadium of Light. The club has also signed Manchester City’s Costel Pantilimon to provide competition to current goalkeeper Vito Mannone.
