Sunderland have opted to cool their interest in a deal for Bournemouth’s Daniel Jebbison following a new offer from a rival for the striker.
The former Sheffield United man featured in The Cherries’ opening-day game against Nottingham Forest and a decision on his future at Dean Court was delayed following Dominic Solanke’s move to Tottenham. Antoine Semenyo led the line at the City Ground and scored the equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw.
FC Porto’s Evanilson has since joined the Ghanaian as well as the injured Enes Unal as the first-choice options for Andoni Iraola. The deal to bring the Brazilian to the South Coast finally opened the door for Jebbison to depart on loan, with multiple Championship clubs fighting for the 21-year-old.
According to i Sport, both Stoke City and Watford are the leading teams in the battle for the forward ahead of the transfer window closing, with a deal expected to be made next week. Portsmouth have also tabled an offer to Bournemouth but are behind The Potters and Hornets to securing the player.
Sunderland were another side involved in the saga, but stepped back from the deal for the ex-Burton Albion player in order to secure Caen’s Alexandre Mendy. Conflicting reports have emerged from France over the Wearside club’s pursuit, with Foot Mercato claiming that the bid made for the 30-year-old has increased.
However, journalist Mohamed Toubache-Ter has said The Mackems have ‘withdrawn their interest’ in the Guinea-Bissau forward following a mismatch in valuations. A bid from Sunderland was made in the region of £840,000 but Les Vikings value their asset at a much higher price of £4.2 million.
Mendy was the top scorer in Ligue 2 last season on 22 goals and has never played outside of France in his career. New Black Cats boss Regis Le Bris has looked to sign a new forward this transfer window, with links to Zenit’s Wilson Isidor and Spurs’ Dane Scarlett emerging throughout the summer.
Existing first-choice Eliezer Mayenda has thrived since getting the opportunity at the Stadium of Light this season, scoring a brace against Sheffield Wednesday in his last game. Arriving from Sochaux last July, the Spaniard has only made 10 total appearances for the club in between a loan spell to Hibernian.
Writer’s View
Sunderland are in need of a striker this window and getting into a transfer battle late in the window could harm them should Daniel Jebbison opt for elsewhere. They have rightly gone for Alexandre Mendy, a player only they are confident in getting but the reports do look shaky about the deal being completed. The player wants the move but it is up to The Black Cats to fork up the price to make Caen budge.
Jebbison will get a Championship move next week following Bournemouth’s game against Newcastle United. The key for The Cherries is to get a player they highly regard as many minutes as possible, so Watford and Stoke are logical choices. City may be the more tempting option as Steven Schumacher is in the market for another striker, using 18-year-old Emre Tezgel as his starting choice in the league. Jebbison would slot straight in as the main forward and should hopefully get some meaningful playing time in the second tier.
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