Transfer news: Sunderland reach pre-contract agreement with former Chelsea starlet 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.

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.

Struk is the third Ukrainian in recent times to arrive at Sunderland, with attacker Timur Tuterov, 18, joining the academy ranks last season to play for the club's under-21s side.

Sunderland also announced the transfer of Rusyn, 24, on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee last deadline day.

The striker made his seventh appearance of the season in the Championship for Tony Mowbray's side against Swansea City on Saturday as the Black Cats drew 0-0 in Wales.

Sunderland are next in action against Wayne Rooney's Birmingham City at the Stadium of Light in the Championship this weekend.

However, Mowbray will be without captain Luke O'Nien and O'Nien's centre-back partner Dan Ballard after the pair both picked up their fifth yellow cards of the season against Swansea City last weekend.