Who is Guy Melamed? The Sunderland, Portsmouth and Ipswich-linked striker likened to Dennis Bergkamp

We take a look at the frontman thought to be on the radar of Lee Johnson ahead of the summer transfer window:

Key Details

Age: 28

Position: Striker

Current club: St Johnstone

Where has Guy Melamed played before and what has his career been like?

Prior to this season, Melamed had spent all of his career in his native Israel.

Having come through the ranks at Hapoel Kfar Saba, the striker made just shy of 50 senior appearances for the club before joining Maccabi Petah Tikva in 2013.

20 goals in 81 appearances drew the attention of top flight side Hapoel Be'er Sheva, who swooped for Melamed in 2017.

He spent a year with HBS before moving on to Maccabi Netanya before being released in 2020.

A move to Scotland then followed as Melamed signed for St Johnstone, making his debut in November.

Since then, he has scored five times in just 15 appearances – with only nine of those outings being starts, too.

What type of player is Guy Melamed?

While Melamed’s imposing figure may give the impression that he is a stereotypical target man, it is his sharpness and movement that has come to the fore in Scotland.

Indeed, upon signing him for St Johnstone, manager Callum Davidson said: “From watching videos of him play, I thought his movement in the box was very good.

"We had been looking to either go for a target man or someone to score goals, and I believe we have gone for the latter option.”

Since his arrival at McDiarmid Park, the 28-year-old has even been likened to Dennis Bergkamp by the local media due to his skilful nature and touch.

A goal against Hamilton earlier this year only underlined those comparisons.

What clubs are interested in Guy Melamed?

Football Insider claim that a trio of League One clubs are keen on Melamed.

As well as Sunderland, promotion-chasing Portsmouth and Ipswich Town have also been credited with an interest.

How much would Guy Melamed cost?

Melamed’s contract at St Johnstone is up in the summer, meaning he will be available on a free transfer.

The only potential stumbling block, therefore, would be wage demands.

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