Sunderland have submitted bids to sign a new forward, with manager Tony Mowbray believing the club are edging closer to bolstering their attacking ranks.
What’s the latest Sunderland transfer news?
The Black Cats have been relatively busy ahead of the new Championship season which begins this weekend. Sunderland are scheduled to take on newly-promoted Ipswich Town on Sunday at home, where a number of new faces could be in line to make their competitive debuts.
So far this summer, the club have made six new signings, with fees paid for Jenson Seelt, Nectarios Triantis, Jobe Bellingham and Eliezer Mayenda from PSV Eindhoven, Central Coast Mariners, Birmingham City and FC Sochaux respectively.
Luis Semedo and Bradley Dack have also signed on free transfers from Benfica and Blackburn Rovers, and it looks as if further additions are being worked on behind the scenes.
Recent reports from France have claimed that the club are in talks with Paris Saint-Germain over a permanent move for full-back Colin Dagba, and a new arrival in attack could also be on the cards.
Reliable Sunderland reporter James Hunter shared a story for The Chronicle on Thursday, providing an exciting transfer update. He relayed comments from Mowbray who was at the EFL season launch event at the Stadium of Light, with the 59-year-old admitting that bids have been submitted and that the club are “hopefully close” to landing an attacking target.
"We're hopefully close. We had a little meeting yesterday. I think we have bids in for footballers. It's not out of our hands because we are pushing hard to try and make sure we make additions to that part of the pitch.
"Hemir (Semedo) wasn't really brought as a number one centre forward, he was a project to nurture and grow and give him some game time. We're not expecting him to play 46 games.
"We hoped he might play 20 and someone else plays 25 and we might play two together sometimes, but as we sit here at the moment he has to try and play 46 games. That won't be the case I'm pretty sure.
"Before the window shuts we will have some help for him at that end of the pitch."
Who are Sunderland’s strikers?
Mowbray currently has three centre-forwards on the books, however, two of those are teenagers in new boys Mayenda and Semedo. The third option is Ross Stewart, but the 27-year-old has been struggling with injury over the past 12 months.
The Scotland international managed to score 11 goals in 15 appearances in all competitions but missed large parts of the campaign through hamstring and Achilles injuries.
He is unlikely to be fit for the new season and has even been linked with an exit, which shows how a proven and experienced forward would be beneficial to Mowbray’s squad.
It looks as if a new striker signing will be one to keep an eye on heading into Sunday’s opening league game, and the sooner one arrives, you could argue the greater the chances are of Sunderland repeating a top-six finish from last season.