Sunderland have been forced to pay a total of £6.4 million in transfer fees for two players missing from training, The Sun have confirmed.
Sunderland duo Papy Djilobodji and Didier Ndong had not reported for training since the end of last season, and the Black Cats are now having to pay £6.4 million in transfer fees for the missing pair. Djilobodji has since been present at one training session, but failed to turn up the following day.
The owner of the club Stewart Donald is reportedly looking to sack the two players for gross misconduct, and although Sunderland will have to pay out millions in fees, they will be willing to cut their losses.
Djilobodji was signed from Chelsea in August 2016 for £8 million, but the overall transfer fee is still being paid in instalments, with Sunderland having to pay the Blues £3.7 million as early as last month.
Equally, Didier Ndong was signed from French side Lorient for a club record fee of £13.6 million, which is also still being paid in instalments. £2.7 million was paid to the Ligue 1 side recently too, meaning Sunderland have had to pay £6.4 million in total in the past month for two players who are AWOL.
According to the same report in The Sun newspaper, centre-back Djilobodji said he was unaware that he was supposed to be back at the club in August, and is now seeking a compensation deal in an attempt to be released, ultimately leaving him free to join another team before the January transfer window.
