Sunderland have tabled a late offer to land an U21 star for Regis Le Bris ahead of the Championship transfer window slamming shut, it has been reported.
Black Cats eyeing late business
Despite a strong start to the season, there is still work to be done in Sunderland. The Black Cats have won each of their opening three games and currently sit top of the Championship table, ahead of Watford on goal difference. Yet to concede, they could not have wished for a better start as they look to challenge for promotion against a host of difficult sides including the newly relegated trio of Burnley, Leeds and Luton Town.
Championship table as it stands
Team
Played
Won
Drawn
Lost
Goal difference
Points
Sunderland
3
3
0
0
7
9
Watford
3
3
0
0
5
9
Blackburn
3
2
1
0
3
7
West Brom
3
2
1
0
3
7
Burnley
2
0
1
7
6
But with games coming thick and fast, Le Bris has already revealed he expects new signings before the end of the transfer window. Indeed, he suggested a number of new players could potentially be arriving at the Stadium of Light.
“We are working hard and I hope that at the end we have a more balanced team, more talented players and so on,” he said.
“We don't know exactly yet what the situation will be but I'm confident because I think we have a good team with a strong core – and if we can add some specific elements to this core I think that the balance will be better. We know that this league is very long with many three-game weeks, so in these situations to have maybe two or three elements more will be interesting for us."
One of those is Bournemouth defender Chris Mepham, who is in Sunderland for a medical after agreeing a loan move to the northeast.
Now, they have tabled a bid for another.
Sunderland make bid for 20 y/o forward
That comes as Fabrizio Romano reports that the Black Cats have tabled a deadline day bid for Gent youth star Ahmed Abdullahi. The striker scored 21 goals in 28 appearances for the Gent youth team last season, and has been promoted to the first team for this campaign.
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Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri adds that the bid was worth around £1.7m and that the Black Cats face competition for the starlet from another side, thus unnamed.
Talks remain "ongoing" to sign the 20-year-old in what is likely a deal with an eye to the future as much as the present. One advantage is that the Juliper Pro League transfer window runs for another week, which would allow Gent to seek a replacement should they opt to part ways with the Nigerian U21 international.
For Sunderland, it would give them yet more cover across their frontline as they look to sustain their promotion push.
