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Cristian 'Cebolla' Rodriguez has been strongly linked with Sunderland in the last week or so, which only increased when he admitted that he wants to leave Atletico Madrid and now Gus Poyet has confirmed that Sunderland have an interest in hiring his compatriot.
Speaking to 890 Montevideo Radio in his native Uruguay, Poyet has admitted that Sunderland are in talks to sign the midfielder but that we will surely face competition for his services from elsewhere;
Cebolla is a player who with his power, speed and technique would adapt very well to English football and I would love to have him on my team.
There have been and are talks for Sunderland to sign him, but the issue is not easy because Cristian must surely have doors open to him for several clubs in Europe.
His career has been spent at big clubs like Peñarol, Porto, Benfica, PSG and Atletico Madrid, played more than 70 international matches for Uruguay and for me it has all the ingredients you need. We are in negotiations but it will not be easy.
At one point I was hooked and I had packed, and even thought about how many vacation days I could give him. I have hope yet. I talked to him.
I preferred, for a matter of correction, not talk to him until he saw a real possibility with the numbers, and then explain why he was chosen and what was expected of him.
While Poyet hopes it to be Rodriguez, he says he is determined to sign a Uruguayan this summer because they have all the characteristics he is looking for in a player;
I am determined to sign a Uruguayan this year, within the characteristics of the players I'm looking for and I think they can bring, players like Suarez or Cavani, but they are not within the possibilities.
I think Cebolla has all the attributes to make an impact if he was brought to England.
At Atletico Madrid they appreciate him much because they know they can count on him any time and he will always give everything. It's that mentality that leads to Uruguayans making a difference in many teams all over the world.
Rodriguez started every game at the World Cup for Uruguay and although he featured heavily for Atletico last season, it was usually as a substitute, which has made the midfielder decide to move on;
Every footballer wants to play as much as possible and what I want is a team in which I can have more minutes on the pitch and which has confidence in me.
I have to leave, it's not that I want to leave. I am very comfortable in Madrid.
At my age, the best thing is to play more. If I stay another year the same situation is going to get repeated, so my idea is to leave.
Poyet was also asked CA River Plate striker Leandro Rodriguez who was recently linked with a move to Sunderland and while he admitted that he was interested in the player, he said he is only looking for players who can have an immediate impact this summer;
He has a great future and will continue to improve but I have to bring in players that can have an immediate impact, not one who may need the period of adaptation I think he will need.
Stay tuned to Roker Report throughout the summer as we keep you up to date with all the transfer news and rumours. Also, feel free to keep in touch with our dedicated Transfer Centre, which you can do by CLICKING HERE.
