Peterborough United owner reveals why Sunderland rejected chance to sign Marcus Maddison

Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony has confirmed Marcus Maddison was offered to Sunderland this summer.
Marcus Maddison of Peterborough United.Marcus Maddison of Peterborough United.
Marcus Maddison of Peterborough United.

Sunderland, who have made six signings so far, were never likely to splash out on big-money signings this summer and Maddison has a release clause of £2.5 million in his current Posh contract.

The winger is, however, out of contract next summer and Sunderland officials have hinted they may revisit when the boyhood SAFC fan is available on a free.

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MacAnthony told the Roker Rapport podcast: “When we played you at our place - in April, the 1-1 - your manager had said to our gaffer ‘What a player that boy is, I really liked him last summer but we heard bad things about him and that’s why we didn’t go in for him’.

“That was the conversation between the two gaffers.

“So Barry [Fry] doing his job in June, started making phone calls because we need to know ahead of time if we are going to sell a player as we need to replace them.”

Hull made a ‘derisory’ offer, while contact was also made with Sunderland.

MacAnthony added: “So Baz rang Richard [Hill] and they had a conversation in June.

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“He said ‘Oh, I’ve spoke to Richard...”, I said ‘Did the Marcus thing come up?’ he said ‘yeah, I said your manager likes him, is there any interest?’ and Richard said to Barry along the lines of ‘We don’t rate him, I don’t anyway and there is no way that we will be bidding for Marcus Maddison.

“Obviously I’m a big Marcus Maddison fan, so I’m like ‘are you kidding me?!’ and he goes ‘no, that’s what he said!’.”

Richard Hill - Sunderland's head of football operations - clarified his stance in an interview with Roker Report, he said: “On this occasion Marcus Maddison was mentioned and I was asked if there was any interest, and was informed that there was a buy out clause in his contract of £2.5m - I said that at that money he was not for me.

“What I will say, though, is at the end of this season when Marcus Maddison’s contract has expired, then that’s a totally different conundrum in my opinion."