Sunderland look to be on their way to finally signing a replacement for Ross Stewart.
The Scot suffered a season-ending injury back in January 2023, before earning himself a move to Southampton in the following summer.
Sunderland hugely missed out on Stewart’s presence, having netted 36 goals in his previous 59 appearances, and failed to replace him with a proven goal-scorer.
With Nazariy Rusyn, Mason Burstow, Eliezer Mayenda and Luis Hemir managing only three goals between them last season, the Black Cats have now prioritised bringing in a new No.9.
The club have looked set on signing Caen striker Alexandre Mendy this month, having seen a bid rejected for the Frenchman.
Mendy has made it clear he wishes to move to Wearside though, while Caen are prepared to offload him for the right price.
While a fee is yet to be agreed upon, Sunderland remain likely to sign the 30-year-old and have now been told of his similarities to former fan favourite Jermain Defoe.
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Alexandre Mendy tipped for double figures in the Championship
Speaking to Football League World, French-based journalist Luke Entwistle said: “You’re buying someone who’s prolific.
“His output is very high. He is an experienced striker and someone, as I say, who does also have international experience, which is handy. He has experience in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 – a complete journeyman, a proper, proper journeyman. He’s been all over the place and has scored a decent amount of goals in a lot of the places that he’s gone.
“He’s maybe your Jermain Defoe type. He’s played for numerous clubs; he’s got a decent record wherever he’s gone. He keeps moving around, but he got 22 goals last season. Ligue 2 is a difficult league to score goals in, so to get 22 goals in Ligue 2 is a significant amount.
“At Championship level, it is hard to say to what extent that translates, but within French football he’s been a pretty sure fire bet. I’d be confident that at 30 years old you’ve got the mentality to try as well. I think you could bet on him having a decent season, decent output, reaching double figures.”
Can the Frenchman replace Ross Stewart at Sunderland?
Ligue 2 is arguably at a lower level than the Championship, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive that he managed to dominate the goalscoring charts.
The attacker netted seven more goals than the next top scorer in the second division, chipping in with penalties, headers and goals with both feet.
The Championship is an incredibly competitive league, but Mendy looks to be a strong figure who could really make a difference for Sunderland.
Given how heavily they have invested in youth, signing a 30-year-old is a big change for the Black Cats but one that could certainly help them out.
Mendy has bags of experience and comes from a league where the likes of N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez were produced.
Coming from France could really help him out too, with Regis Le Bris spending his whole coaching career in his home country.
It may seem like a risk for Sunderland, but it is certainly one worth taking given the lack of success in their frontline over the last 18 months.