Sunderland appear to be homing in on Everton's Tom Cannon as they ramp up their search for another striker ahead of the start of the new Championship campaign.
Who are Sunderland's strikers?
Bringing in replacements for Ellis Simms and Amad Diallo was always going to be a priority for Tony Mowbray this summer, with the pair netting 20 goals between them during the regular league campaign last time out.
Simms returned to parent club Everton prior to joining Coventry City on a permanent deal, while Diallo is now back with Manchester United and will not be returning to the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland have added Luis 'Hemir' Semedo to their squad this window, but the youngster did not play any senior football during his time with Benfica.
Throw in uncertainty over the future of Ross Stewart, who has been strongly linked with second-tier rivals Southampton, and it is clear that another player who can find the net is required by Mowbray.
According to The Sun's Alan Nixon, via his Patreon page, Everton are willing to let Sunderland target Cannon leave on loan this coming campaign, though the Black Cats are said to be lining up a cash offer should Stewart leave in the coming weeks.
How many goals has Tom Cannon scored?
It has previously been reported that Sunderland are hopeful a £3m offer plus bonuses would be enough to tempt Everton to cash in on Cannon, who has made three senior appearances for the Merseyside outfit.
The 20-year-old has spent more than a decade on Everton's books, but it may well be that his future lies elsewhere, with the likes of Preston North End, Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday also said to be eyeing up the youngster.
It was with Preston that Cannon made a name for himself last season when scoring eight goals and assisting one more in 20 Championship appearances.
The 0.65 goals per 90 minutes Cannon registered in the second tier last season, as per FBref, was bettered only by Stewart (0.86) among Sunderland players.
Even when not scoring, the Republic of Ireland international still proved to be a nuisance for opposition defenders. Indeed, Hull City boss Liam Rosenior hailed Cannon as "outstanding" and "one of the best players we've played against by far."
Cannon only spent four months at Deepdale, and he will no doubt hope to better his eight-goal tally across the duration of an entire season should he again drop down a level.
On top of both being able to find the net regularly, there are other similarities between Cannon and Stewart. For example, they scored from 0.17 and 0.19 of their shots last season respectively, while they completed 64.5% and 68% of their passes.
Stewart is a lot better than Cannon in the air, winning 48.9% of his aerial duels compared to the Everton starlet's 32.1%, but the latter is better at beating an opponent as he averaged 1.22 successful take-ons per 90 to Stewart's 0.60.
Ultimately, Sunderland's decision on whether to sell Stewart this summer before he becomes a free agent next year could come down to Cannon's availability. If they can make a nice profit and bring in a player of very similar quality, it would be good business indeed.