Crystal Palace and West Brom are already eyeing a summer raid of Sunderland for centre-back Lamine Kone, reports The Daily Mail.
Sunderland turned down a £17m offer for the Ivory Coast international from Everton last summer but will struggle to get anywhere near that now despite the fact Kone signed a new deal in September.
David Moyes has warned rival clubs they will demand maximum value for their players this summer but relegation to the Championship will reduce their bargaining power significantly and Palace are ready to test their resolve with an opening £10m offer.
Kone is keen to remain in the Premier League and will likely wait until the end of the season before weighing up his options, particularly as Palace could still join Sunderland in dropping down to the Championship this season.
The Eagles are only four points clear of the bottom three with two games remaining and the outcome of their meeting with Hull this weekend should decide their fate.
Sam Allardyce wants to keep Mamadou Sakho at the club following a successful loan stint from Liverpool but Kone would be a deal well within their financial means even though the latter is not as good and has endured a difficult season.
Sunderland’s win ratio with Kone in the starting XI in the Premier League (23.8%) is marginally better than when the Ivorian has not been included with the start (16.1%).
For more stats on Lamine Kone, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
