Manchester United and Tottenham eye Sunderland's Brobbey after World Cup brace against Sweden

Brian Brobbey has emerged as a transfer target for Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Aston Villa after the Sunderland striker scored twice in the Netherlands’ 5-1 victory over Sweden at the World Cup, underlining a breakthrough domestic season in which he netted seven goals in 31 appearances for the Black Cats.

The 24-year-old centre-forward opened the scoring after just five minutes when Cody Gakpo found him bursting through the centre of Sweden’s box, allowing Brobbey to tap home. Twelve minutes later he doubled his tally, lunging to connect with a Denzel Dumfries cross and beating goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt to the ball. The brace came a week after Brobbey made a substitute appearance in the Netherlands’ 2-2 draw with Japan in their tournament opener.

Beyond his goal return, Brobbey’s physical presence and hold-up play troubled some of the Premier League’s most experienced defenders throughout the 2025/26 season, earning him a World Cup call-up from Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman.

Despite the growing queue of suitors, prising Brobbey away from Wearside this summer will not be straightforward. Sunderland signed him from Ajax for £21.6 million last summer and he remains under contract at the Stadium of Light until 2029. According to TEAMtalk, the club view him as central to their long-term plans and are under no pressure to sell.

Manchester United’s interest is understood to be driven by a desire to add support for Benjamin Sesko, with manager Michael Carrick preparing the squad for both domestic and European competition next season. Whether any of the interested clubs can meet Sunderland’s valuation of a player who has raised his profile considerably on the world stage remains to be seen.