Regis Le Bris 'hopeful' of imminent deals for Sunderland striker targets

Sunderland appear to be finally bolstering their striker ranks, and Regis Le Bris believes deals could be concluded over the weekend.

Sunderland closing in on striker targets, believed to be Wilson Isador and Roko Simic / IMAGO / GEPA pictures

Regis Le Bris has all but confirmed Sunderland are closing in on deals for strikers Wilson Isidor and Roko Simic.

Strikers have dominated the transfer agenda for Sunderland for four windows straight, and they now have just eight days left to make sure they don’t go into another season very short up front.

Reports from Europe have revealed that both Isidor and Simic have travelled to Sunderland to finalise deals and, although Le Bris wouldn’t confirm them by name, he did hint that deals are imminent.

"We are working on many different profiles, as you know,” Le Bris said.

“At the minute, we are confident but these options are not signed or finished. So we will see. During the weekend I hope for sure.

“It's possible, but you know the transfer window... you need to match each other to be able to conclude something. So at the moment it is not finished. We will see.”

Isador, 23, is set to arrive from Zenit St Petersburg on a season-long loan, and Le Bris counterpart has confirmed he has chosen Sunderland.

“He tried very hard and there are absolutely no questions about his attitude to work,” Zenit manager Sergei Semak said when asked about Isador’s move to Sunderland.

“But, given his wishes, naturally, he is a young player who needs to progress and play as much as possible in order to progress. We met him halfway.

“There were several options from European clubs, but it so happened that he went to the one where he knows the head coach, where he believed that he would be given enough playing time to reveal his potential. And he certainly has it.”

Meanwhile, Red Bull Salzburg centre forward Simic is also reportedly set to sign, although the 20-year-old Croatian could cost as much as €5million.