Sunderland AFC transfer news: Jobe Bellingham, Semih Kilicsoy, Nazariy Rusyn | OneFootball

The latest transfer news involving the Black Cats.

Only a week remains of the transfer window and Sunderland are still striving to bolster their squad ahead of the deadline on February 3rd.

The Black Cats remain desperate to bolster their forward line, while there has been one confirmed departure and continued interest in their star player.

Football League World rounds up the latest transfer stories involving the Black Cats in what is an evolving window.

Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen watch Jobe Bellingham

Jobe Bellingham continues to be a wanted man, as Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen sent scouts to watch the teenager at Pride Park, according to The Sun.

However, the report goes on to claim that the £20m-rated midfielder wants to see out Sunderland's promotion bid, meaning he will stay until the summer.

It does feel that if the Wearsiders fail to achieve promotion, then Bellingham will likely depart the Stadium of Light, with a wealth of clubs interested in his services.

Thomas Tuchel reportedly sent his assistant Anthony Barry to watch Bellingham and his compatriot James Trafford as the pair clashed in the Championship, as per Alan Nixon. The England boss is seemingly open to the idea of including Championship talent in his maiden Three Lions squad.

Sunderland launch bid for Besiktas striker

Semih Kilicsoy is the latest striker to be linked with a move to the Stadium of Light, with Sunderland reported to have submitted a loan-to-buy bid for the forward.

This is according to journalist Gokmen Ozcan, who revealed the news on Asist Analiz. He claims that the purchase option rests on the Black Cats achieving promotion to the Premier League and that the fee would be around €20m (approximately £16.8m).

Ajax are also said to be interested in Kilicsoy, according to the post, with the Dutch outfit's offer including a player plus cash.

Despite scoring 11 league goals last season, the 19-year-old has only managed two goals in all competitions this campaign, although he has mainly featured on the left-wing.

Nazariy Rusyn joins Hadjuk Split on loan

As expected, Nazariy Rusyn sealed his switch away from the Stadium of Light, as he completed a loan move to Croatian side Hadjuk Split.

Financial details of the move have now emerged, with Hadjuk Split holding an option to buy the forward for €2.5m (approximately £2.1m) at the end of the loan, according to Balkan Sports.

If the Croatian outfit were to trigger the option to buy the 26-year-old, then Sunderland would recuperate the total they paid for him back in 2023.

The Ukranian was limited to game time on Wearside this season and only played a total of 252 minutes in all competitions. During his time in the North East, Rusyn scored only two goals in 32 appearances.

Although time is of the essence, Sunderland will still be keen to sign a forward after missing out on several targets already this window.

It is also paramount that the club hold onto the likes of Bellingham as he will be pivotal to Regis Le Bris' promotion push for the remainder of the season.