Sunderland still have ground to make up in their ongoing pursuit for a striker.
The Black Cats have made it clear that their priority is bringing in a goalscorer during the summer window, with very few strikers at the club having the ability to perform at Championship level on a consistent basis.
Both Luis Hemir and Nazariy Rusyn have been given opportunities to develop in pre-season, however it will be unlikely that they can provide what Sunderland need this season in terms of attacking output, with the pair scoring a combined two goals across the entire league campaign.
As a result, Kristjaan Speakman has looked to add to Sunderland’s attacking ranks as his main priority, with a potential player being the club’s fourth signing after Simon Moore, Alan Browne and the imminent arrival of free-agent goalkeeper Blondy Nna Noukeu.
Sunderland looked incredibly likely to bring in a goalscorer after recent reports, however the Black Cats are still reportedly far off from securing a deal.
Alexandre Mendy deal ‘isn’t imminent’ for Sunderland
French-based reports had suggested that a deal was close for Caen striker Alexandre Mendy to join Sunderland, however a deal ‘isn’t imminent’ at this stage, according to Phil Smith on X.
Sunderland are still reportedly ‘monitoring other options’ to lead the line next season, suggesting that there is still some distance between the Black Cats agreeing a deal with Ligue 2 outfit Caen for their striker who scored 22 goals last season.
Mendy has been targeted by Sunderland after a prolific season in France after he finished as the Ligue 2 top scorer in the 2023/24 campaign.
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Kristjaan Speakman must have plan B for Sunderland in case of Mendy deal falling through
Speakman has done incredibly well in targeting a player with goal scoring prowess and experience at a high level, something that Sunderland were crying out for in the latter stages of the 2023/24 season where they plummeted to an unsatisfactory 16th place finish.
However, in the off chance that Sunderland aren’t able to strike a deal for Mendy, they must have alternative targets lined up to go for as a result of the desperate need for Regis Le Bris’ side to have someone lead the line.
There are ‘other options’ available that are being monitored, however if Sunderland have to go back to square one and then target someone else, it could be detrimental to Le Bris’s pre-season plans, whose tactics will require having a striker through the door that he can train prior to the Championship season kicking off.
Ideally, Sunderland’s deal for Mendy will progress in the coming days, which will see them finally have a born goalscorer in their side, but the Black Cats must prepare just in case it falls through as any further weeks without a striker could be massively damaging.