Sunderland have announced they have given Patrick van Aanholt permission to discuss terms with Crystal Palace after accepting a bid worth an initial £9m that could rise to £14m with add-ons.
Palace have been keen to bolster their offensive options all month and had also agreed a fee with Norwich for left-back Robbie Brady but now appear to be pursuing a deal that would allow manager Sam Allardyce to reunite with Van Aanholt at Selhurst Park.
The former England manager worked with Van Aanholt during his brief spell as Sunderland manager last season and is now poised for a second spell with the Netherlands international with the transfer now expected to be formalised before their Premier League encounter with Bournemouth on Tuesday.
“If a player openly states he does not want to play for our club, then it is clear that we have a decision to make,” Sunderland’s chief executive Martin Bain told the club’s official website. “In this instance and in regard to this particular player, we have done what we feel is right for Sunderland, which will always be our priority.”
It comes as a huge blow for Sunderland in their bid to beat the drop after Van Aanholt had established himself as an important player for the club in the last two campaigns. His goalscoring contribution has proven particularly important in a goal-shy side that is heavily reliant on Jermain Defoe to fire them to safety and now there will be even more pressure on their veteran striker.
In fact, only Leighton Baines (18) has played a direct hand in more goals of defenders in the last Premier League campaigns than Van Aanholt (16).
For more stats on Patrick van Aanholt, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
