Sunderland have a problem position at left-back after Denver Hume saw his contract expire – the club remains in talks with him but Lee Johnson might soon have to find a replacement.
Sunderland Echo reported earlier in the week that Hume is still in talks with Sunderland over renewing his stay.
The left-sided defender has been a prominent member of the first-team for the past couple of seasons now and became a favoured name among fans.
He’s been offered fresh terms by the club but as time ticks on, it seems as though that door might be slowly closing.
Recently though, QPR have made left-back Niko Hamalainen available for transfer. The R’s are undergoing a mass shake-up of their squad this summer and West London Sport has revealed that QPR are willing to let the Finnish international leave this summer.
He remains on a long-term contract with the club and so how much it might cost any potential buying club remains to be seen.
The 24-year-old has become a starting name with the Finnish national squad having featured 22 times in the Championship last season, following loan spells with the likes of LAFC and Kilmarnock during the 2019/20 campaign.
But he’s slowly fallen down the pecking order in west London. The club seem to be in the market for a left-back as well and with Hamalainen now being put up for transfer, it could suggest that a potential incoming is in the making there.
Hamalainen is an attacking-minded full-back and so he’d suit the style of play that Johnson wants his Sunderland side to adopt – he’s dynamic, pacey and coming into the prime years of his career too, and so he’ll want to find a club to settle down with and progress.
Sunderland could be a match made in heaven given their need for a left-back, though time will tell if the QPR man comes onto Sunderland’s radar at any point.
