Weak pound jeopardises Cisse deal

Djibril Cisse’s proposed permanent move to Sunderland could be threatened by the global credit crunch after his price tag rose by up to £3m (€3.36m).

The Black Cats agreed a fee with Marseille for the 27-year-old Frenchman when they negotiated his season-long loan deal during the summer.

They continue to have first refusal on him, but sterling’s weakness against the euro has made the transfer much more expensive.

Chairman Niall Quinn, who has revealed a permanent transfer could also depend on the club securing its Barclays Premier League status, admitted the deal has suddenly become far more expensive.

He told the Sunderland Echo: “Djibril’s deal was done correctly in that the decision will be made at the end of the season.

“Now, he loves it here and he would love to have his future here – we take that as a very good sign. But there are a couple of factors at play here.

“One is that I can’t commit to him until we are safe – that’s economically rather than football-wise.

“If (manager) Ricky (Sbragia) wants him football-wise, I can’t commit to him if we are a Championship club.

“I couldn’t give so much of our revenue to Marseille for a starter if we were a Championship club. It would be bad practice.

“We need to know where we are going before we make a decision.

“The second thing to bear in mind is that sterling has fallen apart since we made the deal, and he’s become about two or three million pounds dearer since we first agreed the deal.

“So we have to look at that. I’m not saying we won’t do it, I’m saying it has to be looked at.”

Sunderland invested more than £70m (€78m) in their playing squad in a little more than two years under Roy Keane, and will look to be more focused this summer.

They intend to target a small number of key acquisitions and are confident they will have cash with which to play despite the prevailing economic conditions, which have seen them announce reduced season ticket prices for the next campaign.

However, a strong finish to the current season – they currently lie 11th after dragging themselves eight points clear of the relegation zone – would bring in additional prize money, and that would further increase their spending power.

However, whether that would help to push through Cisse’s move remains to be seen.

Quinn said: “A strong finish to the season would put a little bit more money into the club.

“If Ricky wants him [Cisse] and we feel good about the deal, then I’m sure we will find a way to do it.

“But economically, it is not so straightforward. Hopefully though, it’s only a short delay before we amass enough points and can plan from there.”

Cisse, who is currently recovering from an ankle injury, is the club’s leading scorer so far this season with 10 goals.