Fulham circling round Sunderland AFC player as £20m price-tag emerges | OneFootball

The right-back has been excellent for the Black Cats so far this season, and they do not want to lose him before Monday's 11pm deadline.

Sunderland have placed a £20m price-tag on right-back Trai Hume ahead of the final two days of the January transfer window, with Premier League side Fulham interested.

The Belfast Telegraph have reported that the Cottagers are targeting the 22-year-old and are looking to work out a deal before Monday's 11pm deadline, but the Black Cats are incredibly keen to keep hold of the young star.

Regis Le Bris' side are not in action until tomorrow evening when they make the short journey to the Riverside Stadium to face Middlesbrough in the Tees-Wear derby, knowing that they must win to keep in contact with Sheffield United in second place.

The Blades are now six points ahead of Sunderland after their 1-0 victory over Derby County on Saturday afternoon, while Burnley were held to yet another 0-0 draw against Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Sunderland place £20m price-tag on Trai Hume as Fulham interest becomes clear

The Black Cats are desperately trying to keep hold of their core squad members, and that includes Hume, as the right-back key to Le Bris' plans for not just this season, but the future as well.

Sunderland want the Northern Ireland international to follow them to the Premier League, and therefore a huge bid of £20m is needed to take him out of the Wearsiders' hands in this transfer window, as per the Belfast Telegraph.

If Fulham were to agree a deal with the Championship high-fliers, then Hume's former side, Linfield, would be entitled to 15 per cent of the fee.

Hume has made 28 appearances for the Black Cats this season, and he has been extremely impressive in his last few appearances. He scored and picked up an assist in Sunderland's 2-2 draw at home to Plymouth Argyle last weekend, and has shown that he has more than enough quality to play in the Premier League.

It is vital that Sunderland keep hold of their key stars before the window shuts

It's been an incredible season for the Wearsiders, and few predicted that they would be involved in the fight for automatic promotion before a ball was kicked.

However, Le Bris' young side have proven to be the surprise package in the Championship, and there is a strong chance that they will return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017 by the time May comes around.

Hume is crucial to those plans, and Sunderland are extremely keen not to let go of the right-back unless they receive a considerable fee.

So far in this transfer window, the Black Cats have managed to keep hold of their key players, and have added to their squad with Enzo Le Fee joining from Roma on a loan-to-buy deal.