It's only a month away now until Premier League action finally returns to the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland fans have been waiting for this moment to arrive all summer, and with the amount of whirlwind business that has taken place off the pitch this off-season, with high-profile additions galore, it must be hard for the Black Cats faithful not to feel excited at the moment, yet impatient in equal measure.
The latest jaw-dropping arrival was Simon Adingra from Brighton and Hove Albion, with the Premier League-ready attacker joining up with Regis Le Bris' camp for £18m.
More cash will surely be splashed between now and the opening match of the campaign versus West Ham United, as Le Bris and Co. begin to hunt down some new defensive bodies to strengthen even more.
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris applauds fans after the match-1
Sunderland firming up interest in £24m star
In particular, the Black Cats will be looking to add some reinforcements in the heart of defence based on recurring rumours.
The likes of Duje Caleta-Car, Joe Gomez, and Charlie Cresswell have all been tipped to join the Stadium of Light ranks this summer in this department, with reports even going as far as to suggest that Cresswell could be purchased for around the £18m mark.
However, there is a fresh target has now emerged in this area of the pitch in the form of Bologna titan Jhon Lucumi, with Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio suggesting that the newly promoted side is showing an interest in the imposing Colombian.
That has been followed up by a report from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, with the respected insider revealing that the Black Cats are ready to make an official bid, having been in contact over the last 24 hours or so.
jhon-lucumi-bologna
With a reported release clause coming into play at around the £24m region, it will be intriguing to see what Sunderland are willing to fork out to snap up the 6-foot-2 defender shortly, with Lucumi arguably an even bigger talent than the up-and-coming Cresswell.
Why Lucumi is an even bigger talent than Cresswell
Whilst the former Leeds United man is the talk of the town at the moment after a breakout Toulouse campaign and an imperious Euros tournament, he is still a relatively inexperienced figure in the grand scheme of things.
Indeed, when adding up the 22-year-old's career appearances to date, 39 of his 101 overall clashes have come about in the U21 ranks at Elland Road, with just one meaningful senior season under his belt in a top division in Ligue 1, which came about just last campaign.
Lucumi's league numbers for Bologna (24/25) vs Cresswell's (24/25)
Stat - per 90 mins*
Games played
Goals scored
Assists
Touches*
Accurate passes*
Ball recoveries*
Total duels won*
Clean sheets
Stats by Sofascore
On the flip side, the Bologna number 26 has been a mainstay in Serie A for some time now - with a high 94 Italian top-flight contests next to his name - and as can be seen glancing at the table above, his powers haven't waned whatsoever as a dominant and assured presence in the backline of Vincenzo Italiano's side.
If anything, he actually managed to trump Cresswell in many different areas of their respective defensive games last season, with Lucumi having been noted for his "ice-cold composure" by analyst Ben Mattinson.
Indeed, he averaged more accurate passes per league clash than the Preston-born centre-back, on top of tirelessly registering more ball recoveries as an energetic body at the back.
Further hailed as being "ridiculously impressive" by Mattinson, it does feel as if Lucumi would be better placed to go in and make an impact on the Sunderland side immediately than Cresswell, considering he also excelled in the Champions League last campaign when battling against the likes of Aston Villa with 4.6 total duels won on average in Europe's elite competition.
Cresswell will undoubtedly find himself back in the English game at some stage, having been rashly discarded by Leeds.
jhon-lucumi-bologna
But, in the here and now, Sunderland should attempt to push the boat out more to land the Colombian, as more and more cash is thrown around to help boost the Black Cats' survival chances.
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Sunderland are now in the race to pick up this brilliant £9m gem.