Sunderland's incredible qualification for the Europa League in their first season back in the Premier League can largely be attributed to their fantastic work in the transfer market.

The likes of Granit Xhaka, Nordi Mukiele, Enzo Le Fee, and Brian Brobbey, to name a few, have been regulars in the team under Regis Le Bris, leading the club to a seventh-placed finish in the top-flight.

Not all of their signings have worked out perfectly, though, and one of the players who has yet to fully convince at the Stadium of Light is their record signing, Habib Diarra.

The Senegal international was signed from Strasbourg for a club-record fee of £27m last summer to bolster Le Bris' options in the middle of the park in the Premier League.

Diarra, though, only produced two goals and two assists in 20 appearances in the division, whilst he lost 55% of his ground duels and 54% of his aerial duels in midfield.

Sunderland make contract offer to sign Ligue 1 star

The £27m-rated midfielder's struggles in the Premier League, despite playing for a team that finished seventh on the final day against Chelsea, could see the Black Cats turn to the market.

In fact, the Europa League side are already reportedly pursuing a player who could arrive at the Stadium of Light as an upgrade on Diarra for next season.

According to Media Foot, Sunderland are attempting to sign Marseille defensive midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Black Cats have already made the veteran star a contract offer of £95k-per-week, which is more than the £86k-per-week that he is currently on in France.

That would reportedly make him the third-highest earner in the squad heading into next season, behind Mukiele (£100k-per-week) and Xhaka (£110k-per-week).

Media Foot adds that Marseille are open to letting the 33-year-old star move on from the club this summer, but it remains to be seen what kind of transfer fee will be needed to facilitate a deal.

How Geoffrey Kondogbia can be better than Habib Diarra for Sunderland

As aforementioned, Diarra has struggled in the Premier League because he has found the physicality of the division particularly challenging, losing the majority of his duels on the ground and in the air.

The former Strasbourg star ended the 2025/26 campaign with 0.7 tackles and 0.2 interceptions per game in the Premier League for Sunderland, which shows that he rarely made contributions out of possession to help his team out.

Hailed as a “monster” by former talkSPORT and Fox Sports News reporter James Dodd, Kondogbia is now entering the final throes of his professional career, only playing ten matches in Ligue 1 for Marseille, yet put up far more impressive defensive numbers than Diarra.

The Central African Republic international would offer considerably more to Sunderland's team than Diarra, who offered very little offensively or defensive in the Premier League, based on his form in France.

Kondogbia is a powerful and strong defensive midfielder who can dominate opposition players in duels and consistently make defensive interventions, through tackles, interceptions, and duels won, to disrupt attacks and win possession back for his team.

The 33-year-old star also showcased his physical and defensive attributes across 25 appearances in Ligue 1 in the 2024/25 campaign, winning 69% of his ground duels and 63% of his aerial duels.

Kondogbia, who averaged 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game that season, is not a midfielder who is likely to score and create goals on a regular basis, but that is not what he is in a team for.

The Marseille colossus is a defensive-minded midfielder who will provide physicality and defensive nous for Sunderland next term, whilst Diarra has not shown that he can offer regular goals or assists, or defensive quality.

Le Bris, therefore, could improve his squad in the short-term by bringing Kondogbia in as an even better option in midfield than Diarra, even if it is just for next season or the next two years.

At the age of 22, though, the Senegal international has plenty of time on his hands to develop and improve, and learning from two veterans in Kondogbia and Xhaka could help him to eventually get to the level where he can perform consistently in the Premier League.