Three players that Sunderland should consider if they fail to re-sign Amad Diallo this summer

Manchester United youngster Amad Diallo has been a fan-favourite on Wearside and could be set for a golden opportunity at Old Trafford next season.

Diallo has found the net eleven times this campaign for the Black Cats and cemented himself as one of the Championship’s most exciting young prospects.

This comes as little surprise when you consider that the Red Devils splashed out a whopping £37 million to acquire the young Ivorian’s signature from Atalanta back in 2021.

After some stellar performances in red and white, Tony Mowbray may need to start looking elsewhere for attacking flair this summer if the Red Devils choose to keep Diallo.

Sunderland already completed the signing of highly regarded young French attacker Isaac Lihadji in January.

However, after featuring only four times since his arrival, here are three more attackers that Sunderland could consider to bolster their front-line in 2023/24:

Young Welsh wonderkid Luke Harris has been catching the attention of scouts across England with his incredible performances for Fulham’s Academy in Premier League 2 Division 1 this season. Harris works most efficiently as a No.10 linking the play together but can operate anywhere across the midfield. His impressive passing ability and eye for goal make him a real threat to any defence. However, with Andreas Pereira’s contributions and Tom Cairney’s experience, Harris has been restricted to just ten minutes in the Premier League this season. A loan spell to Sunderland’s youthful squad could seriously help Harris fulfil his potential.

Another player who would hugely benefit from a period on loan is Spurs’ teenage sensation Alfie Devine. The attacking-midfielder became the youngest player in Tottenham’s history when he made his first-team debut in 2021 aged just 16 years and 163 days. Dubbed a ‘phenomenal talent’ by none other than Jose Mourinho, there is no better place than Sunderland to gain some key first-team experience in the EFL. Dennis Cirkin and Jack Clarke have both already progressed their development by making the switch from Spurs to Sunderland. Could Alfie Devine follow in their footsteps?

Jack Rudoni has been a first-team regular with the Terriers since arriving last summer. The 21-year-old earned his move to the Championship after being named as AFC Wimbledon’s Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year. Sunderland showed serious interest in Rudoni prior to his move to Huddersfield Town and even had a six-figure bid rejected. This interest could potentially be reignited by the Black Cats and Rudoni could fill the void left by Diallo.

All three of these potential Amad Diallo replacements fit the strategy that Kristjaan Speakman has integrated so successfully at Sunderland, by recruiting young, promising players. Diallo will be an incredibly difficult player to replace on Wearside and Sunderland may even seek overseas to find an alternative.