Transfer news: Sunderland and Leeds United 'very interested' in £19m striker amid January exit claims
Sunderland continue to be linked with a swoop for AS Roma striker Artem Dovbyk
Sunderland and Leeds United are “very interested” in signing AS Roma striker Artem Dovbyk this month, according to reports.
The Ukrainian forward has been repeatedly linked with the Black Cats in recent months, and is understood to be headed towards an exit from the Italian capital in the coming weeks. As per journalist Niccolo Ceccarini of Tuttomercatoweb, Roma are aiming to bring in attacking reinforcements of their own during the January transfer window, with a deal for Atletico Madrid star Giacomo Raspadori in the offing.
And assuming the 25-year-old does sign, his arrival could shunt Dovbyk even closer to the exit door. To that end, a move to England is seen as his “most likely” destination, with both Sunderland and Leeds cited as keen suitors. Previous claims from Gazzetta dello Sport have suggested that a financial package worth around £18.8 million could be enough to prise the player away from Roma this month.
Who is reported Sunderland and Leeds United transfer target Artem Dovbyk?
Dovbyk’s career began in his homeland with Cherkaskyi Dnipro, where he scored 18 goals in 37 appearances before moving to Dnipro. After a loan in Moldova with Zaria Bălți, he joined Danish club Midtjylland, later lifting both the Danish Superliga title and the national cup. Loan spells at SønderjyskE followed before a return to Ukraine with Dnipro-1 in 2020.
It was for Dnipro-1 that Dovbyk’s goal-scoring reputation truly exploded. In the 2022-23 campaign, he netted 24 league goals to finish as the Ukrainian Premier League’s top scorer, becoming only the tenth player in the league’s history to reach that tally. His overall record for Dnipro-1 was an outstanding 44 goals in 71 league appearances.
In August 2023, Dovbyk signed for La Liga side Girona in a £6 million move that proved to be one of the biggest bargains of the season. He made an immediate impact, scoring on his debut against Real Sociedad and going on to claim the prestigious Pichichi Trophy as La Liga’s top scorer with 24 goals. His haul included a six-minute hat-trick against Sevilla and another treble in a 7-0 demolition of Granada.
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Dovbyk’s goals helped Girona qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history, and he also chipped in with crucial assists, underlining his all-round attacking threat. Roma secured his signature in August 2024 in a £32 million deal, and the Ukrainian hit the ground running in Serie A. He scored his first goal for the club in September against Genoa and finished the 2024-25 campaign with 12 league goals in 32 league appearances, plus strikes in domestic and European competition.
Across his senior career to date, Dovbyk has scored 133 goals in 286 club appearances, while also providing a steady stream of assists. Dovbyk has been capped 40 times by Ukraine, scoring 11 goals.