Sunderland look set to be beaten to the signature of another attacker by promotion rivals Sheffield United.
The Black Cats are showing promising signs of looking to bring in a striker this January.
After the deal to sign Enzo Le Fee on loan from Roma, Sunderland have moved on to bolster their frontline, hoping to add more competition to the likes of Eliezer Mayenda and Wilson Isidor.
Despite a strong wave of interest from Wearside for Leicester City attacker Tom Cannon, who spent the first half of the 2024/25 season on loan at fellow Championship side Stoke City, they look set to lose out to the striker to fellow promotion contenders Sheffield United.
The Black Cats had alternative targets in mind to potentially lead the line for the rest of the 2024/25 Championship season, however, they appear to have been beaten once again by Sheffield United to a top target.
Sunderland set to lose out on attacker target Ben Brereton Diaz to Sheffield United
Chilean forward Ben Brereton Diaz has been linked with several Championship clubs this January after he fell out of favour with Premier League outfit Southampton.
Whilst Sunderland looked to match Sheffield United in regards to finances to a deal, it looked as though the Blades were in the driving seat to sign the former Blackburn Rovers attacker due to his previous successful spell in the Steel City.
It has now been reported, via The Star, that Brereton Diaz was at Bramall Lane for Sheffield United’s clash with Norwich City ahead of a move that will see him join on loan with an obligation to buy if the Blades achieve promotion to the Championship.
It is the second player that Sunderland have lost out to Sheffield United this January as Chris Wilder’s side also look set to sign Cannon for a hefty eight-figure fee.
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Regis Le Bris has dodged potential bullet after missing out on Ben Brereton Diaz signing
When looking at the two players that Sunderland have lost out on to Sheffield United, not many can argue that the Black Cats have significantly missed out on a potential coup, providing that they still look to get an attacker in before the deadline.
The Cannon deal on the surface looks like a massive fee for an attacker at this level, and Sunderland have potentially dodged a potential bullet by missing out on Brereton Diaz, purely down to his recent form at Premier League level.
Brereton Diaz joined Southampton at the start of this season, but has since been yet to notch a single goal at Premier League level, and is now set for a move down to the Championship.
As far as short-term loans go, Sunderland should not be involved in taking a chance on players that can’t guarantee a goalscoring threat, and that is what they would have been lumbered with if Brereton Diaz came to Wearside.