Sunderland have just over four hours to sign a senior striker.
The Black Cats have gone 19 months without a proven No.9 in their squad, failing to bring in a new forward since Ross Stewart’s season was ended back in January 2023.
Sunderland have been through the likes of Joe Gelhardt, Nazariy Rusyn and Mason Burstow since, but they are yet to find a player capable of finding the net on a regular basis.
While they have signed Wilson Isidor this summer, they are still eager to bring in another forward and have been linked with a number of impressive names.
After missing out on Alexandre Mendy, Tom Cannon and Roko Simic, Sunderland appear to have moved onto Lyon’s Gift Orban.
The Nigerian was previously linked to Tottenham, Manchester United and a number of other big clubs last year.
Orban’s time in France hasn’t quite gone to plan and it was believed he could leave on loan before the deadline.
Sunderland handed boost in Gift Orban pursuit
With Sunderland reportedly having a ‘pretty good’ chance of signing Orban today, all eyes were on Lyon’s match against Strasbourg this evening.
With less than an hour to go until kick-off, Sunderland’s situation regarding Orban may look less advanced than first thought after he was named in the match-day squad.
The 22-year-old was also left out of their last match against Monaco, while he was an unused substitute in their defeat to Stade Rennais.
However, he has now been named on the bench for tonight’s game, which would surely suggest a move to England is off the cards.
What does this mean for the Black Cats?
It was previously reported that Orban is ‘keen’ to move to Wearside, and with Lyon clearly prepared to offload him for the season, it seemed like a deal could happen.
However, there is surely no chance that the forward would have time to complete a medical and join the club when he is spending the next few hours at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
While they are also interested in Ahmed Abdullahi, it is believed that he is more likely one for the future, so the Black Cats seem to have very limited options now.
Orban definitely seemed like the most exciting addition, after scoring 54 goals in 92 appearances across his career so far.
Sunderland surely have a long list of alternatives though, and they haven’t disappointed so far this summer, so hopefully they have something up their sleeve in the final hours.
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