Sunderland: Two clubs linked with Nazariy Rusyn transfer as Ukranian poised for Black Cats exit | OneFootball

The striker looks set to leave the Stadium of Light in January, having failed to make an impact.

Ukrainian sides LNZ Cherkasy and Metalist 1925 are reportedly interested in signing Sunderland's Nazariy Rusyn in the January transfer window.

This is according to Sport.au, who claim the team's coaches, Roman Hryhorchuk and Patrick van Leeuwen, are keen to reunite with the player, having coached him at Chornomorets and Zorya, respectively.

The report claims that both Ukranian clubs will be aiming to agree a loan deal for Rusyn, with the Black Cats open to offers for his services after he has fallen drastically out of favour under Regis Le Bris.

Sunderland poised to part ways with Nazariy Rusyn in January

Earlier this month, Regis Le Bris confirmed that Adil Aouchiche, Abdoullah Ba and Rusyn would be allowed to leave the Stadium of Light in January. While Aouchiche appears to have turned a corner, Rusyn's situation appears unchanged.

A week after Le Bris' statement, Zorya Lodonsk posted on X, with Dmytro Vienkov claiming that the 26-year-old's departure is all but confirmed, with only his destination and length of deal to be decided.

While Rusyn looks destined to seal a move away from the club, it remains to be seen whether Sunderland would sanction a loan or permanent deal.

The forward arrived in 2023 for a reported £2.5m, which is the second-highest fee spent by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus during his tenure at the club.

It would be hard to see the Black Cats recuperating the entire fee they splashed out on the forward, seeing as he has failed to make an impact during his time on Wearside.

Why Naziriy Rusyn is deemed as disposable by Sunderland

When Sunderland signed Rusyn in the summer of 2023, the club had just parted ways with Ross Stewart, who departed for Southampton.

The Ukranian was one of three new strikers tasked with replacing Stewart's scoring prowess, but he managed only two goals in 21 league appearances.

During the summer, the Wearsiders were desperate to strengthen their faltering forward line and signed Wilson Isidor and Ahmed Abdullahi. A month later, Aaron Connolly also made the move to Wearside, meaning Rusyn has dropped down the pecking order even further.

This season, Rusyn has only featured six times in the league without scoring a goal. Furthermore, the 26-year-old has not featured since the start of October and has totalled just 64 minutes of action all season.

With Le Bris confirming that the club will be targeting attacking players during the January window, the Ukranian is likely to make way, so the club can pursue other options.

Reports of a move for Rusyn will be pleasing to all parties as the player is in desperate need of first-team football, which he will not get at the Stadium of Light.

While the 26-year-old has always worked hard to make a difference on the pitch, he is ultimately judged on his attacking output, which has not been up to standard.

With Sunderland set to add to their attacking ranks, Rusyn's time on Wearside appears to be up, but supporters will wish him every success if a move comes to fruition.