Championship newcomers Sunderland are close to signing Bournemouth’s Lewis Grabban on a season-long loan, according to Chronicle Live.
This comes after the club missed out on a similar deal for Grabban’s teammate Max Gradel last week.
The 29-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Jaap Stam’s Reading, helping them progress to the Championship play-off final, where they were defeated on penalties by Huddersfield Town.
Grabban is a proven goalscorer in the Championship; he helped Bournemouth consolidate their second-tier status in 2014 with 22 goals in 44 appearances, and was a key member of Norwich City’s promotion-winning squad the following year, averaging a goal every three matches.
However, since returning to the Cherries in 2015 following their promotion, he has struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League, and another move away from the Vitality Stadium seems likely this summer after he was left out of Bournemouth’s squad for their pre-season training camp in Marbella.
Relegated Sunderland were left with a big hole to fill up top after talisman Jermain Defoe left the club for Eddie Howe’s side earlier this summer.
New boss Simon Grayson has already signed Bury striker James Vaughan for added firepower, but it seems likely that the Black Cats will chase at least one more striker before the season starts.
The Wearside club have also seen a number of key players depart in pre-season, including Defoe, goalkeeper Vito Mannone and attacker Fabio Borini, with the latter two joining Reading and AC Milan respectively.
Sunderland will begin life back in the Championship on August 4th, when they welcome Gary Rowett’s Derby County to the Stadium of Light.
