Sunderland are the most advanced of any club pursuing Dynamo Kyiv striker Vladyslav Vanat this summer. Various Premier League sides have been mentioned in relation to the 23-year-old, who boasts an impressive goals record in his native Ukraine. But the Black Cats have taken the most concrete action to date.
Express Sport understands that even before the end of last season, Sunderland had formulated a plan to go after Vanat if they were promoted to the top flight. They made sure of that with a 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the play-off final, and club chiefs have retained their interest in the centre-forward.
Up to now, Sunderland are the only Premier League side holding formal talks with Vanat's camp. And there is an expectation that a speedy agreement would be reached on personal terms if common ground can be found club-to-club over a transfer fee.
There lies the potential hitch, however. Reports indicate that Dynamo are demanding as much as £21million for Vanat, who has never played club football outside of his homeland.
And the Ukrainian outfit are determined not to budge on price. Bosses in Kyiv ideally want to keep Vanat for their Champions League qualifying campaign, which is scheduled to begin on July 22.
They are also aware of the difficulty of bringing a high-quality replacement to Ukraine, given the country's complex political climate. With that in mind, Sunderland are unlikely to get their hands on Vanat for anything less than Dynamo's valuation in the early stages of the window.
Vanat came through Dynamo's academy, made his senior debut as a teenager and became a first-team regular at the start of the 2022/23 season. The Ukraine star, who has scored twice in 11 international appearances, has netted 27 goals in 67 games for his club.
He has also racked up a handful of appearances in the Europa League, both last season and the campaign prior.
Wilson Isidor was Sunderland's top scorer in the Championship last season with 13 goals. The Frenchman initially joined on loan from Zenit before the move was made permanent in the winter transfer window.
Manager Regis Le Bris will be keen to bolster his attacking options before making his Premier League debut as a manager, with Sunderland slated to get their campaign underway against West Ham on 16 August.