Sunderland are quickly closing in on their sixth summer signing.
The Black Cats are already set to sign Serbian wonderkid Milan Aleksic, but it now looks like it could be another player who seals a move to Sunderland first.
The Wearside outfit have been desperate to sign a new striker this summer, having already snapped up Wilson Isidor from Zenit St Petersburg.
The club have been linked with moves for Tom Cannon and Roko Simic, while Alexandre Mendy has reportedly decided to stay at Caen.
Despite their main focus being on a number No. 9, it is another midfielder who is set to undergo a medical in the North East today.
Sunderland loan target flying to England today
According to Le Parisien journalist Marc Mechenoua, Sunderland and Lens have come to an agreement about the loan deal of Salis Abdul Samed.
The Ghana international is now set to fly into England today to undergo his medical tests, before becoming the club’s sixth addition of the summer.
Rumours of Samed’s imminent arrival only emerged yesterday, but suggest that Pierre Ekwah is very likely to be on his way out before the deadline.
Sunderland could demand up to £6m for the Frenchman, who has been linked with Udinese and Saint-Etienne.
Could Salis Abdul Samed be an upgrade on Pierre Ekwah?
Ekwah is very likeable and looked like an unbelievable signing when he arrived from West Ham, but very quickly dropped off.
To make some profit off his exit and also bring in Samed seems like brilliant business.
While very little is known about the ‘impressive’ 24-year-old, he played a key role in Lens second-place finish in the 2022-23 season, as well as playing Champions League football. He was also wanted by Aston Villa last term.
It seems like a brilliant replacement for Ekwah, who was going to struggle to get game-time. He is also a No.6, while Sunderland haven’t really had anyone who plays there naturally.
It will be interesting to see who is going to fit in where, given the amount of talent Regis Le Bris has at his disposal in the middle of the park.
Aleksic’s arrival is also intriguing, but surely he will be expected to be more of a prospect than a regular in the first-team. However, if he can impress, then the likes of Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg have proven that he has every chance to make it in the starting line-up.