Sunderland preparing concrete move to sign £30m star

It will be interesting to see what happens with the narrative around Sunderland centre-forward Brian Brobbey after an eye-catching first year at the Stadium of Light.

The Netherlands international joined from Ajax last summer to bolster Regis Le Bris‘ squad, and impressed with his physical approach to the centre-forward position.

However, the Black Cats ended the 2025/26 campaign with only 42 goals scored in 38 matches in the Premier League, the fourth-lowest tally in the division.

That was, in part, down to Brobbey’s lack of clinical edge in the final third. The Netherlands international scored seven goals in 31 matches in the top-flight, whilst missing 12 ‘big chances’.

In the 2024/25 campaign, the Dutchman scored six goals and missed a whopping 28 ‘big chances’ in 40 matches for Ajax in all competitions, which suggests that missing chances is not a new issue for him.

Sunderland in the race to sign £30m centre-forward

There is absolutely no doubt that Brobbey can provide real value to the team, with his physicality up front, but the club may eventually want a more clinical finisher up front.

Now, Le Bris and the recruitment team are already reportedly looking at a new striker who could arrive at the Stadium of Light as an even better goalscoring option than Brobbey.

According to SportsBoom, Sunderland are one of a number of clubs interested in a deal to sign Birmingham City centre-forward Jay Stansfield in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that Everton, Hull City, and Ipswich Town are also keen on the England U21 international and will provide competition for his services in the coming weeks.

It adds that all four clubs, including the Black Cats, are preparing to make concrete moves for the former Fulham marksman, as they look to bolster their respective attacks.

A deal will not come cheap, though, as SportsBoom reveals that a bid of up to £30m could be needed to tempt the Championship side into cashing in on the number nine this summer.

How Jay Stansfield could be better than Brian Brobbey for Sunderland

Sunderland should push to win the race for the English centre-forward because he has the potential to be an even better option for Le Bris in the number nine position than Brobbey next season.

As aforementioned, the Netherlands international was too wasteful in front of goal at times in the Premier League in the 2025/26 campaign, which contributed to the team’s underwhelming output overall.

Stansfield, described as “first class” by journalist Josh Bunting, could be a far more clinical striker for the Black Cats if his last two seasons with the Blues are anything to go by.

The 23-year-old marksman only missed 19 ‘big chances’ in front of goal on his way to scoring 29 league goals in the past two years, showing that he rarely passes up a big opportunity to find the back of the net.

Meanwhile, Brobbey has missed 40 ‘big chances’ on his way to scoring 13 goals in 72 games for Ajax and Sunderland in the last two seasons, which suggests that Stansfield would arrive as a far superior finisher in the box.

The Dutchman also only created ten ‘big chances’ and provided seven assists in the 2024/25 and 2025/26 campaigns, with just two ‘big chances’ created and two assists for the Black Cats.

Stansfield’s 19 ‘big chances’ created and nine assists suggest that the potential is there for him to offer more of a creative threat at the top end of the pitch for Sunderland, either as a striker or as a second striker.

If the Birmingham star can make the step up to the Premier League, his form in both League One and the Championship suggest that he can bring the quality in the final third that they lacked with Brobbey on the pitch at times.

Stansfield could elevate Le Bris’ attack with his clinical finishing and creative passing, helping the Black Cats to move away from being one of the lowest scorers in the division.

However, that does not mean that Brobbey should be cast aside. With Europa League football on the horizon, the Dutchman will still be needed, and Le Bris could opt to use both of them at the same time, to combine his physicality with Stansfield’s quality.