Sunderland fail in mammoth £9.3m bid for Ivorian striker | OneFootball

Sunderland attempted to reunite Regis Le Bris with FC Lorient striker Mohamed Bamba but failed with their €11 million offer.

Sunderland failed in multiple bids worth up to €11 million to sign striker Mohamed Bamba from FC Lorient on transfer deadline day.

It's been obvious for many for some time that the Black Cats needed to sign a clinical striker to spearhead the attack of a young team. It has been their biggest problem for some time and is the most obvious area that the club needed to address.

Bamba is well-known to Regis Le Bris, having worked together at Lorient. Sunderland attempted to reunite the pair with multiple bids on the final day of the transfer window, as their search for a centre-forward dragged on into the final day of the transfer window.

Prolific goalscorers are crucial to any promotion bid, but particularly for Sunderland, who haven't had one since Ross Stewart. In the meantime, new signings Nazariy Rusyn, Eliezer Mayenda, Mason Burstow, and Luis Semedo recorded a combined total of a disappointing three goals.

It has been an evident area to improve on before the window closes, as Le Bris urgently looks to address his attacking options ahead of tonight's deadline, with Bamba emerging as one of a number of targets.

Sunderland fail in attempts to sign Mohamed Bamba

Last summer, the Black Cats found themselves in a dire state after the window had closed, having left themselves without a proven goalscorer up top.

French outlet Ouest France are reporting that "several" bids were made by Sunderland, with the final offer believed to have been around €11 million (£9.3 million). That's after plenty of interest in other striking options on deadline day.

Sunderland are also believed to have been looking into a deal for Lyon's in-demand striker Gift Orban. However, he played in Lyon's 4-3 win over Strasbourg on Friday evening, scoring twice, and a deal therefore looked unlikely.

In recent days, it has emerged from WalesOnline that Cardiff have beaten off competition from a number of clubs, including Sunderland, to strike a deal for Roko Simic from Red Bull Salzburg.

They were among the Championship clubs keen to land Tom Cannon from Leicester City, as per reports from the Sheffield Star, but he eventually signed on loan for Stoke City.

Their attempts to land Bamba may not have been fruitful for a player who scored eight goals in the final 16 games of last season, but they are hopeful of landing a striker on deadline day.

The 22-year-old only joined the Ligue 1 outfit in January, penning a four-and-a-half year contract, but a different Ivorian striker could be set to join Sunderland instead.

According to Mike McGrath of The Telegraph, Sunderland are pushing for a loan for Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana ahead of tonight's transfer deadline.

Sunderland line up striker deals on deadline day

Nothing has materialised yet, but it is imperative that Sunderland land a centre-forward imminently, and Fofana could be the man after failing to acquire Bamba.

The top-end of the Championship looks much weaker this year than last. That perhaps highlights the opportunity for a team like Sunderland to take advantage on steal a march in the early part of the season on their Championship rivals.

He may need more refinement in certain aspects but his speed and power should get him into plenty of goalscoring positions, and he could prove to be an an excellent loan signing for Le Bris' side this season, should they confirm a deal in the coming hours or tomorrow.