The Moroccan striker will return to Turkey where he currently plays his club football after his country failed to qualify for the World Cup knockout stage.
Sunderland have began to make moves in this summer’s transfer window after making three signings in only a short period of time.
Goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin, central defender Alim Ozturk and attacker Chris Maguire have all put pen to paper on Wearside within the space of only a few days.
However, still on the Black Cats’ agenda is a striker who can fire the former Premier League regulars back to the Championship at the first time of asking.
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And with the World Cup currently taking place in Russia, Moroccan striker Khalid Boutaib will have certainly caught the eye of several English Football League managers after his outstanding performance against international giants Spain.
The 31-year-old gave his nation a surprise 14th minute lead with an excellent finish, but Morocco could only hold out for a draw leaving them bottom of their group.
However, despite Morocco going home early in this year’s World Cup, Boutaib certainly proved he could be a player for English club’s, including Sunderland, to look at this summer.
The Black Cats have a number of players on their books who are looking to move from the Stadium of Light and with striking options already at a minimum, Boutaib could be a player to fill the void up top.
The French born forward currently applies his trade at Turkish club Yeni Malatyaspor, where he has scored 12 goals in 32 games since joining in 2017.
Boutaib is also very well travelled and has played for nine different clubs, meaning a move to Sunderland certainly wouldn’t be a daunting prospect for the 31-year-old.
The striker’s goal against Spain was Morocco’s first World Cup final’s goal since 1998, when Salaheddine Bassir scored in a 3-0 win against Scotland.
One stumbling block for Sunderland would be whether or not Boutaib would be good enough for the third tier of English football – but his performance against two of the world’s best defenders in Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique suggests he would be well equipped for the challenges he may face in League One.
The signing of Boutaib certianly wouldn’t break the bank of Sunderland either, with the club currently in the midst of a transitional period under new owner Stewart Donald.
And despite the former Strasbourg man being something of an unknown quantity in English football, Sunderland could certainly afford to take a gamble on a World Cup scorer in their new League One venture next season.
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