Sunderland Defender Lamine Kone in the Middle of Tug of War Between 2 Premier League Clubs
Sunderland defender Lamine Kone is in the middle of a tug of war between West Brom and Burnley, who are vying for the 28-year-old's signature following the Black Cats relegation to the Championship.
Kone is understood to have expressed his desire to stay in the Premier League and with Sunderland already strapped for cash the transfer could inject much needed funds into their summer account - whilst offloading a player who is seemingly not committed to the club.
HULL, ENGLAND - MAY 06: Lamine Kone of Sunderland and Oumar Niasse of Hull City compete for the ball during the Premier League match between Hull City and Sunderland at the KCOM Stadium on May 6, 2017 in Hull, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Ian MacNicol/GettyImages
The 28-year-old joined Sunderland in January 2016 from Ligue 1's Lorient for a fee in the region of £5m, and despite his early form impressing the club's supporters it soon started to fall apart as Kone and the club slumped to relegation.
With new manager Simon Grayson willing to let him go, dependent that they receive a suitable fee, according to Chronicle Live both Burnley and West Brom are reportedly pursuing the defender who could cost in the region of £10m.
After losing Michael Keane to Everton, Burnley are looking for a replacement, meanwhile West Brom are in the search for centre-back reinforcements following the uncertain future of Jonny Evans.
After requesting a transfer last summer and a rejected £18m bid from Everton, the Ivory Coast international is expected to end his 18 month stay at the Stadium of Light this summer, despite being contracted to the club until 2021.
However, it does put the Black Cats in a strong position as they have no obligation to sell and can attempt to get the best deal possible - although clubs will be aware of their financial difficulty and could play hard ball in return.
Kone has started both the Black Cats pre-season games as Grayson expects his squad to give everything for the club despite the uncertain future they may have at the club.
