Sunderland, back in the Premier League in 2025 after an eight-year absence, splashed the cash in the summer transfer window.

The Black Cats made their mark in the window by spending more than £100m on new additions, with the likes of Granit Xhaka and Habib Diarra moving to the Stadium of Light.

However, previously, Sunderland almost signed some legends of the game. From Virgil van Dijk to Kevin De Bruyne, the Black Cats nearly landed these world-class stars.

10 players who Sunderland almost signed

10 Virgil van Dijk

Between 2013 and 2015, Virgil van Dijk was starring for Celtic, whereas at Sunderland, Gus Poyet was in charge at the Stadium of Light.

Van Dijk previously admitted that he had conversations about signing for the Black Cats during Poyet’s tenure, however, he would instead choose another team in red and white stripes in Southampton.

9 Kevin De Bruyne

In 2011, Kevin De Bruyne was coming through in Belgium with Genk and was wanted by then-Sunderland boss Steve Bruce.

The Black Cats and Aston Villa were battling it out for De Bruyne, but it was Chelsea who won the race. Things didn’t work out for him at Stamford Bridge, however, he did become a Premier League legend with Manchester City.

8 Diego Maradona

Back in 1977, Diego Maradona burst onto the scene as a teenager and would make his Argentina debut.

At club level, the attacker was with Argentinos Juniors but actually wanted to make the move to England and sign for Sunderland. Unfortunately for the Black Cats, Argentina declared Maradona ‘untransferrable’. Daniel Arcucci, who was the Argentinian’s biographer, said:

7 Luis Suarez

Sunderland were on the search for a new striker in 2010 to partner Darren Bent, and that man could have been Luis Suarez.

Suarez was at Ajax at the time and Sunderland sent scouts to watch him, however, they instead signed Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan following the World Cup, with Suarez the villain after his famous handball on the biggest stage.

6 Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Sunderland tried to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic on two occasions under Peter Reid in the early years of the iconic striker’s career.

The Swede was scoring goals for fun with Ajax and would go on to star for Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Man Utd.

5 Ruud van Nistelrooy

Reid also tried to sign Ruud van Nistelrooy for Sunderland when the Dutchman was with Heerenveen.

The striker was still young and had a £5m asking price, something which the Black Cats decided against. Van Nistelrooy would then sign for PSV Eindhoven before becoming a Manchester United legend.

4 Diego Forlan

Another former Man Utd striker who could have played for Sunderland was Diego Forlan, who was wanted by former Red Devils teammate Roy Keane during his time as Black Cats manager.

Instead of signing for Sunderland, though, Forlan moved to Atletico Madrid in 2007 from Villarreal.

3 Paul Scholes

The 1996/97 Premier League season was the final one at Roker Park and ended in relegation for the Black Cats.

However, it could have been different if Sunderland managed to sign Paul Scholes from Man Utd. The iconic English midfielder was into his third year as an Old Trafford professional, and he’d never become available even though the Black Cats were desperate to do a deal.

2 Robbie Keane

Arguably one of the most underrated strikers in Premier League history, Robbie Keane could quite easily have been a Sunderland player in 2002.

In fact, the Black Cats agreed a fee with Leeds for the Irish forward, but Keane would turn down a move north, joining Tottenham a year later.

1 Joe Hart

A move to the Stadium of Light for goalkeeper Joe Hart, a four-time Premier League golden glove winner, was on the cards in 2016.

David Moyes was in charge and said the club could have landed the England shot-stopper, however, Hart himself said he snubbed Sunderland, instead signing on loan for Italian side Torino.