A worrying transfer claim has emerged on Sunderland central defender Dennis Cirkin ahead of the January transfer window...

What's the talk?

According to The Sun, Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur are eyeing up a swoop to bring the youngster back to the club after selling him to the Black Cats last year.

The report claims that Spurs are set to scout him ahead of the January transfer window with a view to re-signing the gem just 18 months after allowing him to leave for an undisclosed fee.

It has previously been reported that the top-flight outfit have a £6m buyback option that is valid until 2024 and The Sun now claim that Tottenham could snap him up before instantly selling him on to a rival for profit.

Nightmare scenario

Black Cats sporting director Kristjaan Speakman is on a crash course for a Sunderland nightmare as losing Cirkin would be a big blow to Tony Mowbray's squad.

If the earlier reports of a buyback clause are accurate then there is nothing the club can do to stop the defender from moving back to the Premier League giants beyond trying to convince him to reject the transfer.

Speakman agreed the £6m option with Tottenham and may now be left with egg on his face if it comes back to bite him in the January window. Spurs could simply activate the clause and sign him from the Stadium of Light before selling him to another top-flight side, provided there is enough interest, for profit.

In that scenario, Sunderland would be missing out on the full potential of Cirkin's value and would be losing a key player within their Championship squad.

Journalist Josh Bunting described the 20-year-old dynamo as "difficult to replace" and a "standout" for Sunderland this season, shortly after he picked up an injury in September. He has not played since the 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough and recently made his return as he sat on the bench for the 2-1 loss to Swansea but has started eight of the club's 13 league matches.

Cirkin has averaged 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game in the second tier, which is a tally only three players in the Black Cats squad with at least one start have bettered, which highlights his impressive defensive ability and why his exit would be a blow for Mowbray

At the age of 20, he also has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and improve as a player and this means that his value will surely only increase as he gains more experience and hones his skills.

Therefore, losing him for a pre-set fee of £6m this winter, only to watch Spurs sell him on for more than that would be a nightmare for Sunderland and a scenario that Speakman set himself on a crash course for when he agreed the buyback clause in 2021.