Sunderland are one of several clubs reportedly keen on Vladimir CoufalSunderland are one of several Premier League clubs monitoring the situation of former West Ham defender Vladimir Coufal this summer, according to reports.

The Black Cats have been credited with an interest in a wide array of players since sealing their long-awaited return to the top flight last month, with reinforcements at full-back a frequent topic of speculation.

For his part, Coufal is a free agent after leaving East London upon the expiration of his contract following a five-year stint with the Hammers, and his newfound availability has seemingly piqued the interest of several prospective suitors.

What has been said about Sunderland’s reported interest in Vladimir Coufal?According to online outlet Football Insider, Sunderland are one of a number of sides keeping tabs on the Czech international this summer.

It is reported that Everton, Fulham, and Wolves are all keen on the 32-year-old, but that the Black Cats, Leeds United, and Burnley are all monitoring Coufal too.

Everton boss David Moyes is said to be a big fan of the right-back, having worked with him during his time at West Ham, while Fulham are credited with a long-term interest, and Wolves look set to be in the market for reinforcements at the back as Nelson Semedo prepares to leave Molineux on a free transfer.

Sunderland, Leeds, and Burnley are all said to be impressed by Coufal’s Premier League experience, and what it could offer to their respective squads.

What has been said about Sunderland’s summer transfer plans?Outlining Sunderland’s plans for the summer transfer window during an interview last week, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said: “We’re always trying to get the balance right between being prepared for whichever league you might be in and we’ve tried to do that.”Naturally as a play-off winning team you’re behind where other clubs might be, but we’re fast-tracking that and catching up.

We’re looking to improve and build a team that is capable of staying in the Premier League, I think the objective is fairly clear.

The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone.

Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.“Everyone will point to the statistics as to how difficult it is to stay in the Premier League and we’re fully aware of that, we’re not naive.

Our strategy in getting to the Premier League and the solutions we needed, to the ones we need to stay there, will be different.

That’s work we’re doing at the minute but ultimately, we’re going to stick to our values.

We need to have a team that the community and city is proud of, we’ve build that in the current team and we have to have that in the Premier League.

“When we came to the club we had a multi-year strategy about how we’d able to get back to the Premier League, and it’s about continuing that way of thinking.

We’re going to make decisions that are in the best interests of the club to try and retain our position in the Premier League, while also making decisions that don’t negatively impact the club in the long term.

I think we’ve seen before at Sunderland that if you don’t consider those factors, how negative that can be in the long term.

I don’t think it’s necessarily anything different in terms of our principles, but there are clearly key decisions coming up around making sure we have a squad capable of achieving our objective of staying up.”