SUNDERLAND have offloaded big earner Jeremain Lens off the wage bill on a permanent basis.
The Dutch forward is on loan at Besiktas and after a successful spell there they have decided to trigger a full-time switch.
Sunderland are understood to have sold him for £6m and that is half of the fee they paid Dynamo Kiev for him in the summer of 2015. The £1.5m loan fee forms part of the £6m fee.
Sunderland have sent him out on loan to Fenerbahçe and Besiktas in the last two years and it will be weight off their shoulders to have his substantial top-flight wage off the books.
A club statement read: “Sunderland AFC can confirm that midfielder Jeremain Lens will join Besiktas permanently on 1 June for an undisclosed fee.
“The 30-year-old has spent the season on loan with the Turkish Super Lig side, who have now exercised an option to sign the attacker permanently.”
Lens only made 24 appearances, scoring three times, for Sunderland and he has since forced his way back into the Holland reckoning.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here