Sunderland are now “definitely” looking at signing an “excellent” striker who plays in the Championship, according to journalist Michael Graham.
Black Cats still chasing Matija Frigan
The search for a new striker is still ongoing at the Stadium of Light, with Westerlo’s Matija Frigan emerging as a major target in recent days, having reached an agreement on personal terms at the end of last week.
Initially, the plan was for Frigan to join on loan until the end of the season, with a mandatory £13m fee to be paid only if the Black Cats achieve their ambition of promotion to the Premier League.
A more recent update suggested that Westerlo are willing to sanction the Croatian’s departure this month, but the terms of the deal are still being discussed, with the Belgian side looking to receive around half the £13m fee even if Regis Le Bris’ side fail to go up.
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If Sunderland are unwilling to agree to a deal of that nature, they may have to move on to other targets, and journalist Michael Graham has now suggested they could make a move for a Championship striker.
Speaking on X, Graham said: “I’m told that Preston striker Emil Riis is definitely one Sunderland are looking at. How seriously at this stage, I don’t know.”
The Black Cats are yet to make an official move for Riis, but Graham’s update indicates the forward is definitely a concrete target this month, so it will be interesting to see how the move develops over the course of the next week.
Sunderland’s upcoming Championship fixtures
Date
Plymouth Argyle (h)
January 25th
Middlesbrough (a)
February 3rd
Watford (h)
February 8th
Luton Town (h)
February 12th
Leeds United (a)
February 17th
Riis impressing in the Championship
One of the major concerns about signing Frigan is the fact the 21-year-old is unproven outside of Belgium, and there is no guarantee he would be able to make an instant impact at the Stadium of Light.
Riis, on the other hand, has been a key player for Preston North End in the Championship for a number of years now, most notably picking up 16 goals and five assists in 44 games in the 2021-22 campaign.
The Dane’s goal return for Preston is solid but not spectacular, having found the back of the net seven times this season, but he could be amongst the goals more regularly if he moves to a promotion-chasing club.
Having been lauded as “excellent” by former manager Ryan Lowe, there are signs the 26-year-old could make a big difference for Sunderland in their push for promotion, so they should step up their interest by lodging an enquiry soon.
The Preston striker’s experience in the second tier makes him preferable to Frigan, who has hardly been prolific in front of goal in the Belgian Pro League this season, netting six goals in 21 games.