DAVID MOYES has followed up the loan signing of Adnan Januzaj by stating that key defender Lamine Kone will be offered a new contract at Sunderland.
Kone was reported to have handed in a transfer request on Thursday night and issued a statement claiming that the Black Cats had reneged on a promise of a new deal if they stayed up.
Everton have made an offer, believed to be around the £21m mark, for Kone and Moyes has revealed the centre-back will be fined for his comments.
The Sunderland manager insists Kone, who only arrived from Lorient on a four-and-half year deal in January, has been told he can have a new deal next month.
Moyes said: "Kone's people were in last night and there have been several calls. He has been told we will renew his contract on September 1.
"He’s got a four-year contract and he’s done six months of it. We will honour something we said to him if we stayed up regarding a new contract.
"But because we’re in the middle of the transfer window, we’ve said can we get our business done first?
"I’ve only been in here two weeks, Martin Bain (CEO) has only been in a few weeks, so can we wait and do it on September 1?
"We don’t think that’s too big an ask. It surprises me he was supposed to be in Liverpool on Tuesday with people taking pictures.
"We’ve had an offer from Everton. I have had conversations with Bill Kenwright.
"We have told the boy there will be a contract there for him, but just wait a few weeks, if you don’t mind.
"We have had no formal transfer request. It’s given me a difficult situation. He is in my plans, he is a big player here. He was definitely in my team tomorrow but I have a decision to make because of what he has said.
"He will be fined for what he said as well."
Sunderland head to Manchester City for the opening Premier League game tomorrow and new signings Januzaj, Papy Djilobodji, Paddy McNair and Donald Love will all be involved.
He has an injury crisis in midfield, with Seb Larsson ruled out for six months after knee surgery and both Lee Cattermole and Jan Kirchhoff missing. Billy Jones has been ruled out too.
But Moyes is excited to have landed Januzaj on a season long loan from Manchester United.
The Sunderland boss said: "It’s a big boost because that’s the quality I want to bring here. I’m going to try to get him back to the level he was at a couple of years ago.
"I've said to Adnan, he has to look at himself a little bit and realise it’s down to him now to change it.
"He’s come in with a manager who trusts and believes in him but he has to show why he deserves to feature.
"This boy can play a few positions. He has the ability to go past people and make goals and score goals.
"He also gives me another young player, which is something I want to add to the squad, a younger, fresher team as well as a couple of older, experienced ones."
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