"Sunderland hold all the cards" - Black Cats backed to seal Alexandre Mendy deal | OneFootball

FLW spoke with our Sunderland fan pundit to discuss the likelihood of an Alexandre Mendy deal going through, and what it may mean for Mayenda.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sunderland are hoping to tie up a deal for SM Caen striker Alexandre Mendy before the transfer window shuts, as Black Cats boss Regis Le Bris looks to bolster his attacking options further.

The Black Cats have been in discussions with the French side over a deal for Mendy for some time, with French-based journalist Luke Entwistle exclusively telling Football League World that Caen could be holding out for as much as £4m for the striker.

Sunderland have now reportedly upped their bid for the 30-year-old centre-forward, as Mendy's agent revealed that he still has his heart set on a move to the Stadium of Light this summer.

Mendy's 22 goals last season were enough to crown him Ligue 2 top scorer for 2023/24, in what was his third successive season of registering double-figure goals for Caen.

The Guinea-Bissau international has made it clear that Wearside is where he wants to be, but is there optimism on Wearside that Mendy will be wearing red and white this season? FLW investigates...

Sunderland fan pundit: "Sunderland hold all the cards"

FLW's Sunderland fan pundit, Eddy Bamber, believes that Sunderland will eventually be rewarded in their pursuit of Mendy, which could turn out to be a vital piece of business for the club given the lack of proven striking options at Le Bris' disposal.

"I think that Sunderland hold all the cards here, and they will ultimately begrudgingly take the hit and take the lower priced offer.

"We are crying out for a striker. Hemir looks hopeless, Rusyn just hasn't done enough to show that he can make it at this level, and though Mayenda looks like he does have the potential and the desire to do well here, he's just not quite the finished product yet.

"I think he would benefit being a second choice forward, and for that reason, if Mendy does come here, I think he will be immediately installed as our first choice striker."

Sunderland can't afford to pin hopes solely on Mayenda

Teenage striker Eliezer Mayenda offered a glimpse into the potential height of his ceiling to devastating effect last weekend, as his two goals helped Sunderland on their way to a 4-0 routing of Sheffield Wednesday.

The Spaniard dispatched his first goal in particularly impressive style, showing alert centre-forward play to latch onto a loose ball, before opening up his hips and firing a left-footed effort past a stranded James Beadle and into the net.

A clever piece of movement after returning from an offside position saw him elude the Wednesday defence and stroll into the six-yard box, before lashing the ball into the net for one of the easier Sunderland goals he'll ever score.

Sunderland's devastating performance showed that Le Bris' men have the credentials to mount a serious promotion push this season, but despite his highly impressive performance, asking a 19-year-old to score the necessary amount of goals to deliver that in only his second season in English football, is a major ask.

Mayenda's double at the weekend marked his first senior goals since signing from Sochaux B last summer, after failing to find the net from his eight appearances for the Black Cats last season, and a subsequent loan spell with Hibernian.

As such, bringing a player of Mendy's goalscoring track record and experience would provide Mayenda with an ideal tutor to learn from, whilst simultaneously easing the pressure for him to be Sunderland's main man right now.