Sunderland AFC pushing to sign Matija Frigan on one clear condition | OneFootball

Sunderland's stance on Matija Frigan has been revealed ahead of Monday's deadline

Ahead of the transfer window closing on Monday, Sunderland are pushing to sign a striker, and their stance on Westerlo striker Matija Frigan remains that they won't be forced into overpaying.

According to the Northern Echo, Frigan remains a leading target for the Black Cats, but with the two clubs differing in their valuations of the front man, there's still work to be done to strike a deal.

Sunderland are looking to bolster their squad in the final days of the window as they find themselves embroiled in a four-way race for the Championship's two automatic promotion spots, but so far they've been unable to add that elusive front man.

The addition of Enzo Le Fee has added some much-needed guile to an already-stacked attacking unit, but Regis Le Bris continues to try and recruit a striker who he hopes will fire them to promotion.

Matija Frigan might not be Regis Le Bris' man

Sunderland have been in the market for a striker for most of January, but so far have been unsuccessful in attempts to sign Chuba Akpom and Will Lankshear, both of whom elected to sign for other clubs.

Frigan remains a target approaching the last couple of days of the window, but the Northern Echo's latest update suggests that there is still an awful lot of work to do to get a deal over the line.

They suggest that Frigan remains a "leading option", but after an initial round of talks saw the two clubs fail to reach an agreement, movement has stalled.

Westerlo are reportedly open to letting him leave this month, but Sunderland are adamant they will not be overpaying for the 21-year-old, and that firm stance could lead to any potential deal breaking down in the last couple of days.

Matija Frigan would be a calculated gamble for Sunderland

Frigan hasn't particularly ripped any trees up in the Belgian top-flight this season, so it would seem that Sunderland's cautious approach is the correct one in this case.

At just 21 years of age though, there is plenty of room for improvement, but the question mark remains whether, at this stage of the season, Sunderland need players who can develop over time, or ones who will come in and hit the ground running.

The Black Cats only need to rewind two years when a promotion-chasing Burnley raided Westerlo for their premier striker in Lyle Foster, and that move hasn't really worked out, which offers yet another note of caution for Sunderland.