Sunderland will target Genoa right back Šime Vrsaljko should Premier League safety be secured, according to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.
The 22-year-old Croatian, who is a versatile attack-minded player, has been on the radar of a lot of clubs over the last year and is not likely to be short on admirers this summer despite an expected price-tag of €5-6m.
Di Marzio's track record in transfer stories demands it be treated with merit, but as the report (which also credits us with an interest in Inter Milan's Mateo Kovačić) stresses, it is all very much dependent on survival. With that in mind, it's certainly worth treating with a pinch of salt for now.
Perhaps the greatest insight it offers, however, is that priority will be given to bringing a new right back to the club, which obviously casts fresh doubt on the future of the soon-to-be out-of-contract Phil Bardsley.