Sunderland stars Dan Neil and Dennis Cirkin signed long-term contract with new club

Sunderland stars Dan Neil and Dennis Cirkin are both set to wait until the summer before entertaining contract talks, according to Graeme Bailey.

Sunderland have had a great season, but with that comes the expectation of busy transfer windows as they look to keep hold of their stars. SAFC have one of the youngest squads in the division and many of their stars have attracted interest.

With the majority of their squad, the Black Cats are in a strong position to negotiate with most on long-term deals. However, two players who have some leverage are captain Dan Neil and left-back Dennis Cirkin, who both have their deals up in 2026.

Some insight into their current situations has come out ahead of the summer window, with transfer expert Graeme Bailey revealing their intentions.

Bailey told Sunderland AFC News:

“It is clearly not ideal. Both players want to know the club’s situation. Both players know they have interest elsewhere too, which obviously can play a part – if nothing else so they are aware of their market value.”

If SAFC wish to keep ahold of their stars, promotion to the Premier League looks to be the key factor.

Premier League bound either way?

Both Neil and Cirkin will both play in the Premier League at some point in their career. That feels like a certainty.

The pair will be just 23 at the end of the season yet have been regulars for Sunderland for four years now. They were key to SAFC’s promotion back to the Championship and took to the second tier brilliantly.

This season they have both moved their game to another level and interest comes as no surprise. Some of the Premier League’s top clubs have been credited with an interest in Cirkin and the same goes for academy graduate Neil.