Sunderland won’t increase their £500,000 bid for Instituto’s Argentine striker Mateo Bajamich but the Black Cats are wiling to include a sell-on clause in his contract, according to The Echo.
On paper at least, Phil Parkinson has a front line that should be more than enough to fire Sunderland back into the Championship at the third time of asking.
But while Will Grigg, Charlie Wyke, Danny Graham and Aiden O’Brien have all shone in the third tier before, the four forwards plying their trade at the Stadium of Light scored just 12 league goals between them last season.
Graham and O’Brien arrived after difficult seasons at Blackburn and Millwall respectively, while neither Grigg nor Wyke have come close to living up to their expensive price tags on Wearside.
This alone should explain why Sunderland are keen to add another forward to their ranks – one Parkinson believes would be an “exciting” addition due to his searing pace and youthful exuberance (Chronicle).
But there is a real risk Sunderland could miss out on 21-year-old Bajamich if they are unwilling to raise their £500,000 offer – albeit one that contains various add-ons.
MLS outfit Houston Dynamo blew the Black Cats out of the water with a £1 million bid of their own, although a move to Texas appears to have stalled.
Houston have since signed Honduras international forward Alberth Elis.
The Echo adds that Sunderland could still return to the table and include a sell-on clause in Bajamich’s contract in an attempt to twist Instituto’s arm.
Bajamich scored nine times in his breakthrough season in Argentinian football last term.
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