Conflicting reports emerge following major development in Sunderland's Alexandre Mendy pursuit

Conflicting reports have emerged regarding Sunderland’s ongoing interest in striker target Alexandre Mendy.

The Black Cats have been linked with the SM Caen forward for several weeks now, and have found themselves largely frustrated in their efforts to prise him away from the French club. Despite a number of statements in which the player has made it clear that he wishes to seal a transfer this summer, the Ligue 2 outfit’s new owners - a consortium fronted by Real Madrid icon Kylian Mbappe - have sought to retain Mendy’s services.

For his part, Mendy has predominantly been training on his own in Normandy, and was omitted from Caen’s match day squad for their season opener against Paris FC at the weekend. Furthermore, an anticipated replacement for the 30-year-old, Mbaye Niang, was reportedly spotted in attendance at that game.

There were further reported developments on Tuesday when Mendy’s agent gave a statement to Foot Mercato in which he said: "Alex is still determined to join Sunderland, there are about ten days left, we will not give up, our determination is intact. We remain positive and we are counting on the new management to unblock this situation."

The French outlet also claimed that Sunderland had upped their offer for the attacker to somewhere between £1.7 million and £2.6 million, including bonuses, and that the Black Cats looked set to fend off emerging interest from Italian sides Lecce, Sampdoria, and Salernitana.

Now, however, journalist Mohamed Toubache-Ter has weighed in on the matter. Taking to social media, the French reporter said: “The new offer is one week old and is not at this amount. “Secondly, the Sunderland board contacted the Stade Malherbe Caen board to announce that Sunderland had just decided to withdraw from the case. Strategy? To be continued.”