Yann M’Vila’s transfer to Sunderland was one of the most prolonged sagas of the entire summer, and in the end it didn’t even go through. On two occasions, it was reported that terms were agreed between Sunderland and Rubin Kazan, and on the last day, Rubin upped their asking price to £8.5m, and Sunderland said no.
Wednesday, Rubin announced that M’Vila had begun training with the first team squad again, while they try to push through his squad registration. M’Vila, who had been in Kazan all summer, training on an individual basis while his transfer was arranged, has not trained with the first team squad at Rubin for almost two years, and the squad is largely different from when he last did, thanks largely to Rubin’s recent transfer activity.
However, in the last 24 hours, Russian Football News has learned that Rubin and M’Vila have entered early contract negotiations to extend his current deal, which expires at the end of 2016. After M’Vila arrived back in Kazan, Rubin brought him in for meetings, and put down their proposals. They said that they would want to see him in the first team and that they want to extend his contract.
Of course, initially, it was well known that Rubin were trying to sell the Frenchman, to cash in before his contract expired, and M’Vila has his heart set on a transfer to England. However, when his move to Sunderland fell through, the situation changed. The bosses hope to have persuaded him to stay, and to participate in Rubin’s new project – which has seen them spend €40m this summer on players including Alex Song and Ruben Rochina and a new manager in Javi Gracia.
Despite rumours of a pre-contract agreement with Sunderland - which we are informed is more of a gentleman’s agreement to hold talks in January - it is said that M’Vila is excited about the opportunity to play in midfield alongside Alex Song, and he has chosen to wear the number 4 if his registration goes through. Unfortunately, that might not be as easy as it sounds as of course, the transfer window, and RFPL registration window are closed.
However, on deadline day, Rubin asked Sunderland for certification that the transfer would not happen, so that they would be able to prepare all necessary documentation for his registration. The club are hopeful that it will go through, M’Vila belongs to Rubin, he has a valid contract with them, and Rubin has completed all the paperwork needed to register him – apparently before the deadline. Of course, it could help that club president Ilsur Metshin is on the executive committee of the RFPL, and has a large influence at that level.
If M’Vila signs on with Rubin, it will be one of the biggest shocks in recent RFPL transfer history. It’s safe to say that 99% of all Sunderland and Rubin fans thought that deal was done, but Sunderland’s failure to commit may just have cost them.
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