The signing of a new striker is crucial for Sunderland before the end of the transfer window.
Goals were a massive issue for the club in the 2023/24 campaign with Jack Clarke the side’s only consistent scorer.
However, with rumours surrounding Clarke’s potential departure continuing to gather pace, a new goalscorer is now more vital than ever.
Throughout August, one man who is continuously linked to the Stadium of Light is Alexandre Mendy.
The striker has been sensational for Caen in Ligue 2, and now Sunderland has developed a plan to acquire the attacker this month.
Sunderland believe Alexandre Mendy will be a crucial factor in lowering Caen’s asking price
Sunderland’s pursuit of Mendy has been well-documented throughout recent weeks. The striker is seen as a prime target to reinforce their frontlines.
However, Caen are not eager to let last season’s Ligue 2 Golden Boot winner go easily.
Sunderland have already seen a bid rejected for Mendy, with the offer being labelled as ‘ridiculous’.
Now, in order to secure the services of the striker, the club are prepared to issue a risky strategy which will depend largely on the 30-year-old.
It is clear that Mendy wants to move to Sunderland and the Black Cats are hoping this can work in their favour.
According to Michael Graham, despite the club’s willingness to increase its bid for the striker, they are not prepared to meet Caen’s asking price.
Therefore, Sunderland hopes that Mendy’s eagerness to move to the Black Cats will pressure the French side into a sale somewhere in the £2m-£2.5m range.
This is believed to be the reason for the slow progress, as Regis Le Bris’ side are playing the waiting game to get Mendy for a reduced price.
Read more: Who is Alexandre Mendy? Everything you need to know about the prolific striker.
Sunderland should just pay the money for Alexandre Mendy
It is far too risky for Sunderland to be playing this game given the circumstances. The Black Cats need a striker and they cannot wait to see if Caen drops their asking price.
If this goes wrong, Sunderland could be without both Clarke and a clinical striker for the first half of the season.
If this were to happen, the Black Cats would no doubt plunder down the table and be stuck in a relegation scrap.
Therefore, Sunderland should just pay the money The addition of Mendy could also help the club gain valuable points in the August fixtures.