Jewison Bennette looks set to depart Sunderland.

Sunderland winger Jewison Bennette is “on his way” to Ukraine to complete a permanent transfer to FC LNZ Cherkasy, according to reports.

The Costa Rican has been linked with an exit from the Stadium of Light for some time, and is understood to have come close to joining Charlton Athletic in the latter stages of the January transfer window. Ultimately, however, that deal failed to come to fruition, and Bennette has since faced an uncertain future on Wearside, with no indication that he holds any kind of meaningful place in Regis Le Bris’ first team plans.

But while the 20-year-old was unable to seal an EFL transfer, the window in Ukraine remains open for a few more days, and it is within this context that a switch looks increasingly likely.

According to Ihor Burbas, as relayed by Zorya Londonsk, Bennette is “on his way” to LNZ Cherkasy, and as of Tuesday evening, was understood to be “en route” to the Ukrainian top flight. It is also suggested that Sunderland will receive around £417,000 for the player, including bonuses. LNZ are also said to be closing in on the signing of Congolese forward Beni Makouana.

Bennette joined Sunderland from CS Herediano in 2022, and initially featured on a relatively regular basis for the first team at the Stadium of Light. Over the course of his time in the North East, he has made 21 senior appearances, scoring two goals and assisting two more.

Last season, the attacker spent an ill-fated stint out on loan with Greek outfit Aris Saloniki, registering just two appearances during his time on the continent. This season, his only first team action for Sunderland has been a nine-minute cameo in the Carabao Cup first round defeat against Preston North End back in August.

What has Regis Le Bris said about Jewison Bennette leaving Sunderland?

When asked about the possibility of Bennette leaving Sunderland during a press conference last week, head coach Le Bris said: “Yes [he is in talks to leave], but I don't know exactly what stage the deal is at. He needs to play.”

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Elsewhere, U21s coach Graeme Murty addressed Bennette’s collapsed move to Charlton in a recent interview, stating: “We feel for him. We talked to him. Obviously, we've got a close relationship with Jewi. We've known him for a long time now and, on a human level, when you look at that and dealing with that disappointment, we just have to be someone that they can talk to.

“When we see that kind of thing happen, we have to put aside the performance part of it and the football part of it and just make sure as a person they're okay. That's what we're trying to do. Jewi's generally a bubbly kind of guy so we'll make sure that we keep an eye on him over the next couple of weeks.”

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