Sunderland AFC news: Ivan Struk's situation explained amid previous Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea interest

Sunderland have been busy adding several youngsters to their set-up at the Academy of Light in recent weeks - but what do we know about new arrival Ivan Struk?

Here, we take you through everything you need to know:

Who is Ivan Struk? Factfile

Age: 16

Place of birth: Ukraine

Position: Midfield/attack

Current club: Sunderland

Previous clubs: Chelsea

What is the situation with Sunderland and Ivan Struk?

Sunderland have reached a pre-contract agreement with Ivan Struk to sign with the club, The Echo understands.

The 16-year-old cannot yet sign full-time terms at Sunderland until January but has agreed a pre-scholarship with the Black Cats.

The deal has not yet been officially announced by the club given that the agreement cannot be formalised until January, though the player has featured for Sunderland's under-18s.

Can Ivan Struk sign for someone else in the meantime?

Though the Ukranian has left Premier League club Chelsea for Sunderland, Struk is technically free to move elsewhere until he is able to sign on the dotted line in January.

This scenario, however, remains unlikely given that Struk's pre-contract agreement at the Academy of Light is already in place, but is just not yet able to be signed.

Has Ivan Struk been linked with any other clubs?

“We instilled in Ivan a love for football as a child,” Struk's father said after he joined Chelsea. “My son and I worked hard to make Ivan grow up to be a good football player. He is very persistent and purposeful: he has set a goal and is on his way to it.

“He had invitations to visit Manchester United and Manchester City, and it was far away, so we chose Chelsea.

“I would like to see my grandson in the Ukrainian football team. However, in order to get to the national team, a lot of work still needs to be done.”

Has Ivan Struk played for Sunderland yet?

Struk has already played for Sunderland at youth level against Wolves with the under-18s and has posted content of the game on his social media channels.

Struk has also posted photos of himself playing for Sunderland on his Instagram plus pictures of him training.