European club open transfer 'talks' to sign Sunderland player on loan - report

Ukrainian side FC LNZ Cherkasy are in “talks” to sign Sunderland forward Nazariy Rusyn, according to reports.

The 26-year-old has struggled to make much of an impact on the first team picture at the Stadium of Light this season, and has been limited to just 66 minutes of Championship football, spread across eight cameo appearances. His only start of the campaign came in August’s Carabao Cup defeat at the hands of Preston North End.

It is within this context that the prospect of an exit has been touted, with Black Cats head coach Regis Le Bris opting to remain coy on the player’s future. When asked about the potential for Rusyn to leave Wearside this month in a recent press conference, he said: “It depends on the player. For Naz, he was involved in the last game so is still connected with us. He works hard every day so is still connected.”

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But despite Le Bris’ non-committal update, reports in Rusyn’s home country suggest that he is the subject of interest from the Ukrainian top flight. According to TaToTake, as per Zorya Londonsk, LNZ Cherkasy are keen on the attacker, with new manager Roman Hryhorchuk having previously worked with Rusyn during a shared stint at Chornomorets in 2022.

The report goes on to suggest that talks are underway, and are currently revolving around the prospect of a loan. It is also suggested that at this stage, there are no concrete indications as to whether any such agreement would include a buyout option or not. Last month, it was reported that both LNZ Cherkasy and Ukrainian rivals FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv were keen on offering the player an escape route from his ongoing limbo.

Rusyn signed for Sunderland from Zorya Lugansk on a four-year contract in 2023. Since putting pen to paper, however, he has failed to establish himself as a first team regular, and has recorded just two goals and an assist across 32 outings in all competitions.