Sunderland are now in talks over a deal to sign a striker this month, with Regis Le Bris in favour of the move, according to a report.
Black Cats keen on a striker
The Black Cats are searching for a new striker this month, in order to strengthen their Championship promotion push, and they have identified a number of targets.
Southampton’s Ben Brereton Diaz was on Le Bris’ shortlist, with the Saints willing to offload the forward this month, but Sheffield United are leading the race for his signature, as he would only consider a move to his former club.
The Blades are also in the running for another Sunderland target, namely Leicester City’s Tom Cannon, and they are also in pole position for the 22-year-old’s signature, having now agreed a £13m deal with the Foxes.
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As such, the Black Cats may be forced to move on to other options, and they could be well-placed to sign Westerlo striker Mathias Frigan, who they are believed to be seriously interested in signing.
There has now been a promising new update on Sunderland’s pursuit of Frigan, with Germanijak reporting they have now entered talks with Westerlo to discuss the terms of a deal (via Sport Witness).
This comes after Wilson Isidor, who has been fantastic for the club during his loan stay from Zenit, endured a horror evening at Burnley on Friday, seeing two late penalties saved in the same corner by James Trafford.
Le Bris is said to be strongly in favour of Frigan’s arrival, with the manager looking to bolster his squad to aid his side’s chances of returning to the Premier League.
The Championship promotion hopefuls want to sign the Croatian on a loan deal, with a conditional obligation to buy for a fee of €15m (£13m) if they achieve their goal of returning to the top flight.
The 21-year-old is very interested in moving to the Stadium of Light, which may make it easier to get a deal over the line.
Sunderland’s upcoming Championship fixtures
Date
Derby County (h)
January 21st
Plymouth Argyle (h)
January 25th
Middlesbrough (a)
February 3rd
Watford (h)
February 8th
Luton Town (h)
February 12th
Frigan could be a shrewd acquisition for Le Bris
The former Rijeka man didn’t have the best debut season in Belgium, scoring just four goals in 23 league games, but he has already managed to better that goal tally this term, picking up six goals and three assists in 20 outings.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has also previously lauded the starlet, likening him to former European Golden Shoe winner Ciro Immobile.
It would be a slight risk to sign Frigan, given that he is unproven in a major league, but a loan deal with an obligation to buy if they win promotion could be a shrewd way of bringing in an impressive striker with less risk. It would take some of the goalscoring pressure off Isidor’s shoulders at a delicate time for the youngster, who admitted Friday was the worst day of his life.