Sunderland are understood to be keen on Chelsea striker Marc Guiu

Sunderland are currently leading the race to sign Chelsea striker Marc Guiu, according to reports.

The Black Cats have enjoyed an eye-catching start to the summer transfer window, and continued their recruitment drive with the unveiling of Swiss international Granit Xhaka on Wednesday morning. Elsewhere, a deal for NEC Nijmegen goalkeeper Robin Roefs is said to be in the offing, with confirmation of his arrival on Wearside expected in the near future.

And it would appear that Kristjaan Speakman and his team are keen to push ahead with another agreement over the coming days too. According to Spanish outlet Sport, Sunderland are very much in the race to land Guiu, with a decision on the teenager’s future expected soon.

What has been said about Sunderland’s transfer pursuit of Marc Guiu?

As per Sport, Sunderland are currently one of two likely destinations for the Chelsea attacker, with German outfit RB Leipzig also understood to be in the running for his signature.

Several clubs have reportedly expressed an interest in the Barcelona youth product, but it is the Black Cats who have intensified meetings with his current employers amid hopes that an agreement can be reached. From there, Sport suggest that a temporary exit is most likely at this stage.

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano corroborates that latter point, stating that Chelsea want the player’s salary fully paid over the course of a straight loan deal with no option-to-buy clause included.

The report concludes by claiming that while the likes of Real Sociedad and AS Roma have also registered their interest in Guiu, it is Sunderland who are the “most advanced” in talks with Chelsea at present.

For his part, Guiu signed for Chelsea last summer in a deal worth around £5 million after his release clause in Catalonia was activated. Over the course of his first season in England, the starlet registered 16 appearances, scoring all six of his goals in just 286 minutes of Europa Conference League action.

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Kristjaan Speakman confirms Sunderland's transfer plans for the rest of the transfer window

Speaking to Sky Sports recently, Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman confirmed that the club were still looking to make several additions to their squad. He said: “We've still got several more players that we need to acquire in certain areas of the pitch.

"I'll leave that a little bit loose for you but we have to try to find the right players. We've never been knee-jerk in our decision making. We'll try to be calm, but it's the balance of being calm, waiting and trying to find [players]. Also knowing that you've got the right ones and being decisive.

"Momentum is important. We want to make sure we can start well. We knew that we had three or four players that we felt were the right ones and we've tried to do them. I think that just shows the ambition of the ownership and the direction of the club."

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