Sunderland dealt major blow in Chris Mepham pursuit after Bournemouth decision
Sunderland’s ambitions of bringing loanee Chris Mepham back to the club permanently have hit a stumbling block, after Bournemouth made a big decision about the defender.
Mepham made the temporary switch to the Stadium of Light from the south coast last season, playing 40 games for the Black Cats as they secured promotion to the Premier League.
The Wales international replaced the injured Luke O’Nien in the eighth minute of the play-off final, as Sunderland beat Sheffield United 2-1 at Wembley.
Tommy Watson, who will be playing for Brighton next season, scored a 95th-minute winner for Regis Le Bris’ side, meaning they will join Leeds and Burnley in the top flight.
Mepham retained by Bournemouth
After a successful season on Wearside, many Mackems would have hoped that a permanent deal for Mepham would be struck relatively quickly.
| Games | Goals | Assists |
| 40 | 1 | 0 |
The 27-year-old’s contract at Bournemouth was also expected to run out this summer, which would’ve allowed Sunderland to sign him on a free.
However, the Cherries announced their released and retained list on Monday (9 June), and Mepham is set to remain with the club.
This indicates that the south coast side have decided to activate the one-year extension clause in the Welshman’s contract.
Bournemouth are still likely to let Mepham go this summer, but Sunderland will now have to pay a fee if they want to bring the defender back to the Stadium of Light.
Bellingham departure agreed
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In other news, Jobe Bellingham is set to join Borussia Dortmund, after Sunderland accepted a record-breaking bid for the 19-year-old.
The Wearside-based club are set to recieve £27.8m, plus £4.2m in add-ons, for the sale of the midfielder, surpassing the £30m Everton spent on Jordan Pickford, in 2017.
Bellingham made the switch to the Stadium of Light from Birmingham in the summer of 2023, and has made 88 league appearances during his two seasons at the club.
In the 2024/25 campaign, the Englishman scored four goals, as he helped Sunderland back to the Premier League for the first time in eight years.
The youngster is following in the footsteps of his brother, Jude, who spent three seasons at Dortmund, before making the switch to Real Madrid.