Like Black Cats skipper Dan Neil, Cirkin is set to enter the final year of his current contract on Wearside at the end of this month.
The Sunderland hierarchy are keen to hold contractual discussions with both players as they do not want to run the risk of them being able to leave for nothing next summer, with Cirkin’s situation potentially being complicated by strengthening interest from his former club, Spurs.
Tottenham sold Cirkin to Sunderland in 2021, with the 23-year-old having subsequently developed into a first-team regular whose performances were a major factor in the Black Cats’ promotion back to the Premier League.
The terms of the deal that took the left-back to the Stadium of Light included a buy-back clause enabling Spurs to re-sign their former player, but that clause has now lapsed.
Nevertheless, Spurs are keen to negotiate a new deal for Cirkin this summer, partly because they regard him as a young player with considerable development potential, but also because they need to sign ‘homegrown’ players to ensure they comply with UEFA’s rules for next season’s Champions League.
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Champions League rules dictate that competing clubs must have at least four ‘club-trained’ players in their squad, meaning players that spent at least three full seasons with the club between the ages of 15 and 21.
Cirkin would satisfy that criteria for Spurs as he joined the north London club’s academy prior to playing at Under-16s level.
Tottenham officials are reportedly lining up a formal offer which would see Sunderland make a considerable profit on a player who has made 117 senior appearances since moving to the North-East.
Ideally, Sunderland want to retain Cirkin as he features prominently in Regis Le Bris’ plans for next season. However, if contract talks prove unproductive, they will have to balance the negatives of losing a key player against the risk of Cirking running down his contract before leaving as a free agent.
Nectar Triantis is another Sunderland defender who could be on the move this summer with Hibernian now in advanced talks over a permanent deal for the Australian, who played as a central midfielder for most of last season’s loan spell at Easter Road.
Triantis made 28 appearances as Hibs finished third in the Scottish Premier League and qualified for Europe last term, with their manager, David Gray, keen to conclude a permanent deal this summer.
Triantis does not feature in Le Bris’ plans for next season, but Sunderland are determined to get the best possible deal for the 22-year-old.
“His parent club have just got promoted to the Premier League and there are conversations going on,” said Gray. “Clearly, he was a big part of what we did last year and it is a position that we are going to need to fill.
“There are conversations going on there that are positive at the minute – you always need to be proactive and making sure that you are trying to get your work in as early as you can.”
Gray was delighted with Traintis’ impact while on loan last season, with the Sunderland player also having spent the second half of the previous campaign on loan in Edinburgh.
“He is another one who had a fantastic season,” he added. “You saw how much he improved last year, playing week in, week out.”
