Sunderland and Southampton could lose out on transfer target to Premier League clubs | OneFootball

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Southampton and Sunderland could lose the race for striker Sydney van Hooijdonk due to new interest from two Premier League sides.

23-year-old forward Sydney van Hooijdonk is wanted by the Saints and the Black Cats. But reports are suggesting that the two could miss out on the opportunity to sign him because of interest from Crystal Palace and Brentford.

The two Premier League sides joined the race for the Dutchman after his proposed move to German team Wolfsburg collapsed, as was reported by Football Insider. They added that the Bundesliga stalwarts submitted an £8 million bid for the forward but they could not finalise the deal with Bologna.

The pair of Championship clubs have had a reported interest in the player since earlier in the month. Italian outlet Resto del Carlino claimed that Sunderland and Southampton had joined the group of clubs who were looking to bring in the 24-year-old, this summer.

Both teams have been looking at striking options, and the Saints have agreed a £10 million fee to sign Sunderland's star striker Ross Stewart, according to Sky Sports. This could have knock-on effects for Sunderland in their pursuit of strikers, as well as for Southampton forward Che Adams who has been linked, by Sky Sports, to a move back to the Premier League.

Who is Sydney van Hooijdonk?

The 23-year-old joined his current side on a free transfer after leaving Dutch side NAC Breda, in July 2021. Half a year after joining the Italian outfit, he went back to the Netherlands on a season-and-a-half-long loan deal. This time, though, he went to SC Heerenveen.

He was outstanding throughout his time with the club. He scored 22 times in 46 league appearances, averaging a goal every 165 minutes. His efforts helped Heerenveen secure eighth place in the Eredivisie, meaning that they got into the league's European play-off competition.

The son of former Celtic and Nottingham Forest footballer, Pierre van Hooijdonk, has made one appearance in the Serie A, for Bologna, this year. A very brief nine minutes against AC Milan, just under a couple of weeks ago, is all the game time that he has managed, this season.

His contract with the club runs until the summer of 2025.

Sunderland and Southampton's other striking options

With the northeast club's star number nine on the move down south, Sunderland are expected to be busy today. They have interest in Ukranian striker Nazariy Rusyn. The forward has told sport.ua that the deal is yet to be done, but he is just waiting on the final paperwork so that he can travel over to England to complete the move.

The Sunderland Echo reported that the club could sign two forwards before tonight's deadline.

As mentioned, Sunderland's Stewart is set to join the Saints. The move could allow Che Adams to leave to a Premier League team, as his desire is to play football in England's top flight, this season.

This could mean that, like Sunderland, the Saints could bring in multiple forwards before 11pm, tonight.