Sunderland now have three rivals in the race to sign Ajax striker Chuba Akpom in the January transfer window.
The Black Cats already have Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda but, after the departures of Nazariy Rusyn and Aaron Connolly, a forward addition is the club’s priority.
Akpom scored 28 goals in 40 Championship appearances for Middlesbrough in the 2022/23 season so it’s obvious why Kristjaan Speakman is looking to get the deal over the line.
The key issue for Sunderland is that they don’t have a clear run at the 29-year-old. Instead, it’s a four-club race, including one Champions League side.
Sunderland one of four clubs in transfer race for Chuba Akpom
Many clubs have been linked with Akpom throughout the January window but it now appears that the list has been whittled down to four.
De Telegraaf’s Mike Verweij has reported today that Premier League relegation-battlers Leicester City are no longer an option.
The Dutch journalist added that Lille and Fiorentina are Sunderland’s rivals in the transfer pursuit and that any deal will be a loan with an option to buy.
Meanwhile, French outlet Foot Mercato say that Ligue 1 club Lens ‘continue to push’ for Akpom’s signature.
They also state that Lille, who qualified for the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday night, are ‘currently in pole position’.
Neither source ruled out the Black Cats’ chances but it’s fair to assume that they will probably have to move on to yet another target in the coming days – if they haven’t already.
Why Lille move makes no sense for Chuba Akpom
Whether Akpom would start more games than Isidor if he moved to Wearside is up for debate, but at least it’d be a fair fight.
However, it will surely be impossible to replace Jonathan David as Lille’s first-choice striker. Not only has he scored 11 goals in 18 Ligue 1 games this season, he netted six times in the Champions League group phase.
Perhaps Akpom is willing to play the patient game, as David is likely to leave when his contract runs out at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
Still, even if Sunderland isn’t his best option, to leave Ajax for Lille and remain on the bench at 29 years of age would have to go down as a strange move.