Sunderland defender Lamine Kone signed a new five-year contract with the struggling Premier League team on Wednesday. 
The new deal ties the 27-year-old to the club until 2021. It is unclear whether the new contract has a release clause in it. Sunderland are heavy favorites for relegation and if that happens, Kone will attract the interest of other Premier League clubs as well as others across Europe. Sunderland stayed in the bottom three more than any other Premier League club last season, but the arrival of Kone helped solidify the team defensively and eventually they survived the drop. 
Sunderland's manager commented on the signing on the club's website, saying "Lamine is an important player for this club and I made that clear to him from the outset." He added that "The challenge for Lamine now is to build on what has been a very positive introduction to English football and to continue to improve and grow as a player." 

Source : QNA