Sunderland have been linked with a swoop for Dmytro Riznyk this summer
Sunderland could still revive their transfer interest in Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk amid injury concerns surrounding Anthony Patterson, according to reports.
The Black Cats reinforced their options between the sticks last week with the acquisition of Dutch U21 international Robin Roefs. The 22-year-old signed from NEC Nijmegen in a deal worth around £11.5 million, and went on to make his debut during Saturday’s pre-season friendly clash with Real Betis at the Stadium of Light.
But despite Roefs’ recent arrival, Alan Nixon has stated that Sunderland could yet look to sign another goalkeeper in the coming weeks, with ongoing uncertainty over Patterson’s fitness. The academy graduate has missed the majority of his side’s pre-season campaign due to an ongoing injury issue.
What has been said about Sunderland’s transfer interest in Dmytro Riznyk?
According to Nixon, writing on Patreon, Patterson is suffering from a knee issue that could keep him sidelined for a lengthy period, and may even require the 25-year-old to undergo surgery. If that is the case, then Sunderland may look to bring in another stopper to compete with the newly-signed Roefs, and to that end, the reporter is of the belief that Riznyk could be an option.
Sunderland’s interest in Riznyk was first reported by transfer insider Fabrizio Romano. Writing on X, he said: “Understand Sunderland asked for deal conditions for Shakhtar Donetsk GK Dmytro Riznyk. No proposals or concrete bid so far.”
Nixon then followed up those claims with an update of his own last week, suggesting that Shakhtar would be willing to sanction a potential exit for Riznyk this summer despite their ongoing Europa League qualification bid. At this stage, there are no concrete indications as to how much the Ukrainian side would demand for their player.
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What has been said about Robin Roefs’ arrival at Sunderland?
For his part, Roefs put in a confident display during his first outing for Sunderland at the weekend, and speaking after the Dutchman’s arrival in the North East, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said: “Robin is a talented young goalkeeper, who has been in high demand this summer after an impressive season in the Eredivisie. Right from our opening conversations, his desire to join Sunderland was clear and we are delighted that he’s now a member of our team. This was an area of our squad where we wanted increased competition and he has all the attributes to play at the highest level, so we’re looking forward to working with him to ensure he achieves that outcome at the Stadium of Light.”
Speaking after Saturday’s match, Roefs himself said: “It’s a dream coming true to play in the Premier League. So yeah, I’m really going to try and enjoy it. I’m really excited to play. Obviously there might come some nerves looking around the corner, but I think I’m ready.”
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