Sunderland ‘closer to Daniel Cummings deal’ after surprise Celtic update
Sunderland are moving closer to getting the chance to sign Daniel Cummings from Celtic as he struggles for game time.
Football Insider exclusively revealed that the Black Cats, along with Brentford, Wolves, Fulham, Ipswich, and Burnley feature among a group of English clubs that have conducted checks on the forward.
The 18-year-old has also scored 22 goals in 20 games for the Hoops youth team this season. Despite his prolific scoring and interest from down south, however, Cummings is still yet to receive the offer of an extension to stay put, according to The Mail, and is free to speak to interested clubs from January 1.
Brendan Rodgers is said to be keen to find a younger third striker to provide back-up for Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah, and yet Celtic have not moved to keep the teenager, despite locking down Francis Turley and Colby Donovan.
Sunderland need a new striker to bolster their attack
Sunderland currently boast three frontline strikers – Wilson Isidor, Eliezer Mayenda and Aaron Connolly – as well as reserve forward Nazariy Rusyn, but none have really established themselves as regular goalscorers in the first half of the season.
Isidor boasts five goals in 16 Championship appearances, but was initially signed to play on the right-hand side rather than as a number nine.
Mayenda has not scored since mid-August, while Connolly, who arrived as a free agent in the autumn, has claimed one goal in eight outings.
So the club could do with a boost to their attacking ranks, and with Football Insider reporting that a cross-border compensation fee would likely be well short of half a million the door is nearly open for a relatively cheap deal.
Celtic apparently don’t feel that Cummings’ exploits prove he has the pedigree to develop into a first-team asset for Rodgers, but if they see him walk to one of the interested sides they might live to regret that.
Sunderland’s owners could also find themselves fielding offers for a number of their own players next month, with Jobe Bellingham, Chris Rigg and Dan Neil all having attracted considerable attention.
Therefore, the signing of Cummings could bolster their attack as the Black Cats have a great track record of developing youth in their side and off-loading star players to Europe’s elite clubs.
In other news, Crystal Palace have also set their sights on signing Chris Rigg.
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