Sunderland in position to strike West Ham transfer agreement | OneFootball

Sunderland are leading the race to sign striker Divin Mubama from West Ham this summer.

That's according to a report from The Athletic, who have provided an update on the future of the 19-year-old.

Having come through the youth ranks with the Hammers, Mubama has made his way on to the fringes of the club's first-team in the past couple of seasons.

He has so far made 18 senior appearances in all competitions for David Moyes' side, scoring one goal and providing one assist in that time.

Earlier this season, however, it was reported that the striker had rejected the offer of a new contract made to him by West Ham.

So, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the current campaign, he will be free to go where he wants in the summer, and Sunderland could be set to take advantage of that.

Sunderland closing in on Mubama deal

According to this latest update, a number of clubs have been tracking Mubama throughout the course of the campaign.

However, it is Sunderland who are said to be in pole position to complete the signing of the teenager come the end of this season.

The Black Cats are seemingly keen to boost their attack in the summer, and may now be in a position to do that with Mubama.

Even so, due to the fact he is still only 19-years-old, Sunderland will have to pay compensation to West Ham if they sign the striker, despite the fact his contract is about to expire.

An underwhelming season for Sunderland

This has been a disappointing campaign for the Black Cats, which has fallen flat since Tony Mowbray was replaced as manager by Michael Beale, who did not last long at the Stadium of Light.

Things have also stagnated since Mike Dodds stepped in as interim manager until the end of the campaign.

As a result, Sunderland go into their final match of the season 15th in the standings, having long since pulled clear of the relegation battle and dropped out of the promotion race.

They end their season on Saturday, with the visit of Sheffield Wednesday to the Stadium of Light.

No surprise to see Sunderland target Mubama

It does feel as though Mubama is very much the sort of signing you would expect Sunderland to target going into the summer.

Goals have been a big issue for the club this season, so it makes sense that they would want to add some firepower to their attack.

Much of their emphasis when it comes to recruitment has been on the signing of younger players for the future, and at 19, Mubama certainly fits that mould.

However, while there is no doubting his potential, there may be some concerns about his record in front of goal.

He is yet to really find his scoring touch for West Ham, meaning there may be no guarantee he can get the goals Sunderland might need from him next season.

With that in mind, it would be interesting to see if Sunderland were to target some other potential new striker signings alongside Mubama, once the transfer window has opened again.