Sunderland have now been given an exciting update on their pursuit of Nozariy Rusyn, with a report revealing when they hope to wrap up a deal for the FC Zorya striker.
Who are Sunderland signing this summer?
The Black Cats have not gotten off to the start they would have been hoping for this season, crashing out of the EFL Cup against Crewe Alexandra and losing their first two Championship games on the spin, and Tony Mowbray has admitted he needs new signings.
As reported by The Northern Echo, the manager has claimed a new central midfielder could be required, although admitting that bringing in a striker will be one of his priorities, saying:
"I think the reality is that we have to get the front end of the pitch sorted out first,"
"But we are mindful that we are a bit light in that central-midfield area. If Dan or Pierre was a to pick up an injury, it suddenly starts to look really thin in that area of the pitch.
"We could drop Jobe in there, but he is a 17-year-old boy. That seems daft because at some stage, if you make a substitution, you’ll have a 16-year-old (Rigg) and a 17-year-old playing centre-mid in the Championship, which is not ideal.
"It’s an area that potentially we might look for a more experienced footballer to help the area out. Dan is 21, Pierre is 21 – it's not as if they are 26 or 27 and have 300 appearances under their belts."
The same outlet have also revealed that Sunderland's recruitment team have held talks over a deal for Zorya forward Rusyn, who was left out of the squad for his side's 2-1 victory against Vorskla at the weekend.
Although the Ukrainian media are said to have reported that a €2m (£1.7m) bid has been made for the 24-year-old, a deal is yet to be agreed, but discussions are currently thought to be ongoing.
The Black Cats are hoping to make a breakthrough in their pursuit of the Ukrainian prior to the weekend, when they return to action at home against Rotherham United.
Who is Nazariy Rusyn?
The Lviv-born attacker initially made his breakthrough for Dynamo Kyiv, where he made four appearances in the 2018-19 Europa League, but he really started to make a name for himself for Zorya in the 2022-23 campaign,
In 30 Premier Liga games last season, the former Dynamo Kyiv man weighed in with 13 goals and six assists, with the former figure ranking him joint-second in the whole division, indicating he is ready to take the next step in his career.
The 5 foot 8 forward has picked up where he left off this season, having scored one goal in two league games, showcasing his versatility by featuring as a right-winger in one of those matches.
As previously mentioned, Rusyn has recently been left out of the Zorya squad, indicating that a move could be on the offing this summer, and he has shown he could help solve Sunderland's woes in front of goal, so it may well be a deal to keep an eye on over the coming days.