Sunderland eye late Deadline Day deal for Senegal international striker | OneFootball

Red Star Belgrade striker Pape Cherif Ndiaye could be a late arrival to Sunderland on deadline day.

Sunderland's attempts to sign a striker have been fruitless so far, but Regis Le Bris' side are eyeing a late move for Red Star Belgrade striker Pape Cherif Ndiaye.

Much of the talk on Wearside has been about adding a striker and, while a host of players have been linked with a move to the Stadium of Light, the club are yet to secure a deal. However, Ryan Taylor of The Mirror has the latest on the situation.

He has detailed that there is confidence on Ndiaye's side that a move is possible but that the Serbian giants are currently reluctant to sell. Sunderland remain in the market for a No.9 despite confirming the permanent signing of Wilson Isidor this week.

Previous reports claimed that Sunderland had a £3.5 million option to buy Isidor from Zenit, which they have since activated. The Frenchman has started all of Sunderland's last 22 league matches, scoring nine and should be in double figures after his penalty agony against Burnley and wrongly disallowed goal against Derby County.

In many ways, Isidor needs pressure on his position, with Sunderland's only other quality option, Eliezer Mayenda, being utilised on the wing by Le Bris. That perhaps opens the door for Cherif Ndiaye ahead of the 11pm Monday deadline.

Sunderland link to Pape Cherif Ndiaye emerges

With just a day remaining in the January transfer window, time is of the essence for Sunderland to strengthen their squad before the February 3rd deadline. Further quality and depth is needed for Sunderland to maintain their play-off ambitions and have a chance of returning to the Premier League, and the club will be hoping to secure an extra goalscorer.

Sunderland's pursuit of additional forward options has been well-documented this month, with Regis Le Bris eager to supplement the ambitious arrival of Enzo Le Fee with increased firepower to spearhead the side's promotion bid.

At one stage, attention has now turned to KVC Westerlo's Matija Frigan. That came after the Black Cats were linked with a range of names across Europe, with Chuba Akpom, Ben Brereton-Diaz and Tom Cannon all touted with potential moves. St. Gallen frontman Willem Geubbels was also linked.

While Blackburn Rovers are desperate to pip Sunderland to the post in their pursuit of Jayden Danns, according to Alan Nixon. In recent days, a report from Sunderland AFC News stated they had joined fellow automatic promotion rivals Leeds United in the late race for Southampton forward Cameron Archer. However, it is potentially none of the above, per Taylor and his latest report.

Ndiaye has scored 15 times in 26 games this term, including twice in the Champions League. The 29-year-old has also been capped four times at international level by Senegal. His 30 goals in 65 games at Red Star highlights his prolific nature in front of goal.

Even though Sunderland have been excellent this season overall, there is a reliance on Isidor when it comes to scoring goals, and, even then, he only has nine in the campaign. With only a day remaining before the transfer deadline, the Wearsiders are still yet to add to their front line, which was highlighted as a priority area during the window.

Nothing has materialised yet, but it is imperative that Sunderland land a centre-forward imminently as they find themselves embroiled in a four-way race for the Championship's two automatic promotion spots.

Ndiaye could end the search for that elusive front man, leaving Regis Le Bris the unenviable puzzle of fitting the 29-year-old into his star-studded starting line-up. However, breathing down his neck, it could elevate Isidor's game and give him the boost he needs to propel his numbers to where they should be.