Sunderland have asked Sassuolo about the availability of 26-year-old French winger Armand Lauriente. (ESPN), external
Watford midfielder Giorgi Chakvetadze is wanted by Sunderland and fellow Premier League new boys Burnley, with Birmingham also keen on the 25-year-old Georgian midfielder, who is valued at about £5m. (Sunderland Echo), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Tyne-Wear derby is back – and the North East is already bracing for one of English football's most fiercely contested rivalries.
Following the release of this season's Premier League fixtures, Sunderland will host Newcastle United at the Stadium of Light on 13 December, with the return game taking place at St James' Park on 21 March. These dates are now etched in the minds of supporters across the region.
Few matches stir the emotions quite like the Tyne-Wear derby. For some, it's about pride. For others, it's about history. But for everyone, it's a game that transcends the football pitch.
BBC Radio Newcastle's Newcastle United commentator Matthew Raisbeck said: "When I think of the North East derby, I think of passion, passion that both sets of fans have for their club and how much we get to experience that when the games are being played."
On the other side of the divide, Sunderland's matchday commentator Nick Barnes shared his own take - one that focuses on the emotional toll the derby can take on those involved.
He said: "In one sense, it's a fantastic occasion. In the other sense, it's a real headache, madness in the build-up to the game itself, with all the banter and social media goes bananas. The anxiety, anticipation and the tension and everything that goes with the atmosphere, it is a remarkable occasion."
Sunderland are keen on signing former Southampton defender Duje Caleta-Car from Lyon. The 28-year-old Croatia international played 13 times in the Premier League in the 2022-23 season. (Newcastle Chronicle), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesThroughout Thursday, we have been counting down former Sunderland's defender Darren Williams' top five moments at the Stadium of Light.
And top spot goes to...?
The 4-1 win against Chelsea in December 1999, where Williams himself provided an assist for Niall Quinn's second goal.
"Number one, and this is going back to Peter Reed and Bobby Sexton, and Kevin Phillips - our great home win against Chelsea," he said.
"4-0 at halftime, and finished 4-1. But Kev's half volley was a fantastic strike. You know when Kev's about to shoot and his eyes light up. He knows what he's got to do.
"What a fantastic strike and a massive occasion at the Stadium of Light."
So, here are the top five moments at the Stadium of Light, according to Williams -
The 4-1 win against Chelsea in December 1999
Dan Ballard's goal against Coventry City in May 2025
Jermain Defoe's volley against Newcastle United in April 2015
The play-off semi-final win against Sheffield United in May 1998
Patrick Vieira's red card in Sunderland's win over Arsenal in 2000
How would you rank these five? Have a go over here
And did Williams miss anything? Tell us here
Image source, Getty ImagesThroughout Thursday, we have been revealing the moments ex-Sunderland defender Darren Williams believes have been the best at the Stadium of Light.
At number three, he has chosen Jermain Defoe's exquisite volley to beat Newcastle United in 2015.
"I was at the game and he just caught it such a treat at the right time," Williams told BBC Radio Newcastle. "The trajectory of the volley was just perfect.
"I was out of my seat, and I was celebrating. It was one of those moments. That rivalry with Newcastle - you could feel the tension all game and it was always going to be tight.
"He was very emotional and all credit to him because it was a fantastic volley."
For second place, Williams wound the clock back only to last month for Dan Ballard's dramatic late goal against Coventry City in the semi-finals of the playoffs.
"I just had a funny feeling that we would get something off the corner," he explained.
"It was just a feeling, but I was halfway down the steps as he leapt in the air, and I thought he misjudged it. I still don't understand how he did it! He mistimed his jump and was coming down.
"You looked around, and there was limbs flying everywhere."
Who made number one?
Find out on BBC Sounds now - or come back a little later
Image source, Getty ImagesThroughout Thursday, we are revealing the moments former Sunderland defender Darren Williams are the best to have happened at the Stadium of Light.
He puts the sending off of Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira in 2000 as his fifth favourite. It probably helped that Sunderland beat the Gunners 1-0 as well.
"He was a top player and a great guy, but I came on as a sub in the game," Williams told BBC Radio Newcastle. "We were 1-0 up and they were getting more momentum. I've been asked to go on and quieten down Vieira.
"I haven't done this intentionally, but there were a couple of shirt pulls from both sides and on this occasion, he's kind of got away from me and as I've had a little tug on his shirt to pull him back, he put his arm out and caught me right in the face.
"Obviously, I've gone down!"
In fourth place, Williams has marked the First Division play-off semi-final second leg against Sheffield United during the 1997-98 season where the hosts progressed to Wembley with a 2-0 win.
"It was basically when we came out," he remembered. "As we came out of the tunnel, we looked across to the far side - the East End, it literally lit up, and the noise and the volume was unbelievable.
"If you ran the tunnel into a wall, you'd have probably run straight at them because it gave such a massive lift."
For the full list, listen now on BBC Sounds - or come back to this page later.
Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist
All three newly promoted sides now know who they will face in the opening round of fixtures for the upcoming season.
Two of those three have landed home games, with Sunderland hosting West Ham United and Leeds United taking on Everton.
Burnley begin on the road with a trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Matchday one has often been a reality check for clubs finding their feet in the top flight. Throughout the entirety of the Premier League era, promoted teams have collectively won just 17 times from 92 matches (excluding three occasions on which they have faced each other) – a success rate of only 18.5%.
They have also conceded nearly twice as many goals as they have scored.
Which of Sunderland, Leeds or Burnley are most likely to buck that trend in 2025-26?
Image source, Getty ImagesFollowing the release of the 2025-26 Premier League fixtures, we asked you to have your say on how the schedule has fallen and where Sunderland's might be after 10 games.
Here are some of your comments:
Stu: On paper, a kind start to the season for the lads. Could have been much harder - that said, there are no easy games at this level. Would sense that Regis le Bris and the players will feel they can pick up a few early points in August and September to give them a strong foundation. Early points are key and will increase confidence going forward if they can get two or three wins under their belt before the difficult fixtures in the autumn come along.
Paul: At first glance, I'm happy with our opening fixtures and hope to get mid-table by the end of September. Was expecting an Ipswich 2024-25-like start but it is a lot kinder than that.
Alex: Pretty pleased with the fixtures. From the first six I think there's a good few that are realistically winnable. December will be brutal, but in a way it's not bad to get a run of hard games out of the way in a short period.
Freddie: Anything other than in the relegation zone for any of the promoted teams is a massive achievement. And if we are, I shouldn't think any Sunderland fan will be too bothered or surprised. And if anyone knows about daring regelation escapes and survival stories, it's Sunderland.
Hugh: Mid-table with 12 points.
Opta has ranked the difficulty of each top-flight team's first five Premier League fixtures of the 2025-26 season.
According to Opta's model, Manchester United have the hardest start, followed by their opening-weekend opponents Arsenal and then Bournemouth.
Aston Villa's first five games have been ranked the easiest, alongside Crystal Palace.
Take a look below to see where your side places...
Andrew Bassett
BBC Sport data analyst
Image source, Getty ImagesWe have seen a lot of traffic to our fixtures pages already today.
So far, Leeds United are the fourth most visited club fixtures page on BBC Sport.
Only Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal are ahead of the Whites.
Newly promoted Sunderland also catch the eye inside the top 10 - and in case you were wondering, they are behind Newcastle United.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe first Wear-Tyne derby on Sunderland's Premier League return will be at the Stadium of Light on Monday 12 December.
Regis le Bris' side will then travel to Newcastle over the weekend of 21-22 March.
The Black Cats squad will also have their eyes on 3 December and 11 February - the two midweek dates they are currently due to face defending champions Liverpool - with a midweek trip to Anfield up first.
And what about the schedule over Christmas and New Year? Well, Sunderland travel to Brighton, before hosting Leeds and Manchester City to finish the year. They then visit Tottenham for their first game of 2026.
Finally, they will close their campaign at home against Chelsea on Sunday, 24 May 2026 - when all 10 matches will kick off at 16:00 BST.
Sunderland will host West Ham in their opening game of the 2025-26 Premier League season on their return to the top flight.
The match will take place at 15:00 BST on Saturday, 16 August, with the Black Cats' first away fixture at fellow promoted side Burnley on the weekend of 23-24 August.
See Sunderland's Premier League fixtures in full here
All times BST
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Image source, Getty ImagesAs the transfer window is open again until 1 September, we asked you to tell us one player you want Sunderland to sign, and a player you want to be sold this summer.
Here are some of your comments:
James: He seems like a nice kid but I didn't feel Hjelde was good enough for the Championship, let alone the Premier League. We need another skilful midfielder alongside Dan Neil who can defend, attack and get a few goals. It would be great to replace Jobe and compete with Chrissy Rigg.
Roy: The one out would be Pierre Ekwah. Clearly not in Le Bris' Championship plans so probably has no future post-promotion. Still worthy of a decent sale price. One in would be Lennon Miller. He played really well for Scotland recently, off the back of a good season at Motherwell. Fits the age profile and I would think the data, too.
Liam: We need to sign Jordan Henderson back at all costs. He's a solid centre mid. He knows the city and the Premier League well, and the experience he could offer our players is second to none. There's no-one I would say I would 'get rid of' but I think we could afford to lose Ekwah.
Gary: I'd sell Neil as he is too inconsistent. He gets caught in possession and gives the ball away too much. I would buy Amad Diallo. Best loan signing ever and he would help our team immensely. He also loves Sunderland and would come if given the option.
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Sunderland defender Darren Williams sits down with BBC Radio Newcastle's Simon Pryde to relive their top five moments at the Stadium of Light.
From unforgettable goals to electric atmospheres, this is a must-listen for Black Cats supporters. Whether you were there in the stands or watching from home, this will take you right back. Don't miss it!
No sooner does the season finish and we start looking forward to key dates for the next campaign - and that will be a lot easier to do on Wednesday when the Premier League fixtures are released.
That's right, that special day in the calendar is almost here already. The day when you'll learn details of derby fixtures, Christmas opponents and end-of-season run-ins.
This page will bring you all the fixtures when they drop at 09:00 BST on Wednesday and we'll be giving you the chance to have your say on how things look.
The new campaign kicks off on the weekend of Saturday, 16 August and it will conclude on Sunday, 24 May 2026, when all 10 games will take place at the same time.
The transfer window is open again for summer business to be conducted.
Clubs can now strike deals until the deadline at 19:00 BST on 1 September.
So if you can sell one player, who is it? And if you can buy one player only, who gets the nod?
Give us reasons for your choice but remember, in this instance it's a strict one player leaving and one coming in.
Image source, Getty ImagesSunderland legend Marco Gabbiadini chose Eric Gates, Sebastian Larsson, Stephane Sessegnon, Michael Bridges and Billy Hughes as the most skilful players to have played for the club.
Here are some names that you thought were missing from the list:
Jeff: I pretty much agree, but for me I would have had Niall Quinn first!
Thomas: Stan Cummings, Ally McCoist, Micky Gray, Brian Clough.
Alastair: These are modern era players. What about the greats of yesteryear? Stan Anderson to name one.
Phil: Steed Malbranque.
Richard: Charlie Hurley, Len Shackleton, Kevin Phillips, Bobby Gurney and Asamoah Gyan would all feature on a list of all-time Sunderland greats.
Eddie: Frank Worthington was a genius with a football. Must be top.
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Sunderland manager Peter Reid - who twice won the Black Cats promotion into the Premier League - has been looking back on taking charge of the club 30 years ago.
The ex-Everton and Manchester City player took the reigns in March 1995 with Sunderland battling relegation in the second tier, but with seven games of the season remaining, Reid oversaw just the one loss and managed to keep them up.
Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle in a special episode, Reid recalled: "They were great games, the Sheffield United one was a very important one and I always thank Craig [Russell] for coming on as a sub and getting the winner," Reid said.
"To be fair, the crowd played their part and obviously the players, the players were magnificent. I think we went to Derby and beat them as well which was a fantastic result.
"After the Sheffield United game, I remember going to the chairman and saying 'listen I need to get something for the players so give me £500 to take them out' and the bill came to about £1200 so I had to find £700 from somewhere.
"So I was fining the lads for mis-passing the ball in training and everything and once I got the £700 I told them 'it's over now lads' and I told them the story and they took it all in the spirit that it was meant."
Nottingham Forest are rivalling Leeds and Sunderland for 31-year-old Mozambique left-back Reinildo Mandava, who is out of contract with Atletico Madrid this summer. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
