Sky Sports: Sunderland now in direct contact to sign £17m Ligue 1 forward

With Jobe Bellingham set to join Borussia Dortmund, Sunderland have instantly reportedly turned their attention towards the transfer market and an impressive Ligue 1 forward.

Borussia Dortmund set to sign Jobe Bellingham

Despite earning promotion to the Premier League, Sunderland have lost Bellingham to Dortmund this summer. The midfielder will follow in his older brother’s footsteps by swapping English football for the chance to play for the Bundesliga giants. It’s a path that led Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid and one that his younger sibling will hope to take with similar success.

As for Sunderland, whilst they’ll be frustrated to lose such a talented young player ahead of their Premier League return, they’ll at least have money to spend following his departure.

Bidding farewell to the 19-year-old in a deal which could eventually rise to as much as €40m (£34m), the Black Cats could instantly put that transfer fee to good use and set Regis Le Bris’ side up for first-time survival next season.

On that front, the rumours as to who could arrive have already been circling. Recent reports have mentioned names such as Tommy Doyle, who could replace Bellingham, and former Tottenham Hotspur defender Japhet Tanganga.

The latter would be a particularly impressive arrival. Following his Championship revival at Millwall, Tanganga is ready to step back into the Premier League and could yet do so courtesy of the Black Cats. It’s there that he could be joined by a talented Ligue 1 forward too.

According to Sky Sports’ Sacha Tavolieri, Sunderland are now in direct contact to sign Matthis Abline after they ‘sounded out his entourage’, rivalling Marseille for the Nantes forward this summer in a deal worth €20m (£17m).

The Ligue 1 forward enjoyed an impressive campaign in France, scoring 11 goals in all competitions in a Nantes side that only escaped a place in the relegation play-off place by three points. Now, after a standout season for his side, the Abline could yet be on his way to the Premier League.

Of course, Abline wouldn’t be the first French striker to arrive at the Stadium of Light. It wasn’t so long ago that Wilson Isidor was arriving and he has thrived ever since – scoring 13 Championship goals last season.

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He could become a star at the Stadium of Light.

The Nantes forward, once dubbed a “top talent”, could be even better than the Sunderland star, however. After outperforming his expected goals last season, whilst Isidor underperformed significantly, Abline has the potential to only increase his numbers with better chance creation around him. And at 22 years old, he may just be getting started.