Roker Roundup: Reported Sunderland ‘keeper target ‘set to seal move this week’ - but to where?

Reported target set for move

Sunderland may be in need of a new goalkeeper over the summer, with the future of current number one Jon McLaughlin up in the air. The Scottish international is out of contract this summer and is attracting interest from Blackburn Rovers.

One player to be linked with a move to the Stadium of Light is Aston Villa’s Matija Sarkic, the 22-year-old is also out of contract this summer and according to FootballInsider, the Montenegrin is close to agreeing terms with a new club.

Villa wanted to keep the player but he looks set to leave and the report claims the move to an unknown club may be completed before the end of the week.

Sarkic spent the first half of the season on loan at Scottish Premiership side Livingston, where he was recently named the club’s young player of the season.

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Swiss move for Cana?

Lausanne-Sport have recently had a behind the scenes shake up, as the Swiss club have seen their sporting director Pablo Iglesias, head of scouting Léonard Thurre and physio Bernard Rohrbach all depart in the last week.

According to 24heures.ch, that has led to the fans of LS to be worried about the loss of a local identity but the report claims that the club are hoping to ease those fears with the potential arrival of former Sunderland midfielder Lorik Cana.

Cana came through the ranks at Lausanne-Sport after arriving in Switzerland at the age of 10 and remained their until he joined Paris Saint-Germain at the age of 17.

The club are owned by Ineos, who also own Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice, are said to have their eye on Cana to fill the roll of sporting director or general manager. Cana is said to be close to the French club’s sporting director Julien Fournier from their time together at Marseille.

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Toivonen returns to Malmo

Former Sunderland loanee Ola Toivonen has re-signed for Swedish club Malmo FF on a deal that will run until 2022.

Toivonen joins the club on a free transfer after a two year spell with A-League side Melbourne Victory, 11 years since his last appearance for Malmo.

The 33-year-old Swedish international told the club’s official website that he was delighted to return to his former club after a long spell abroad which saw him feature for Sunderland, PSV Eindhoven, Rennes, Toulouse and Melbourne Victory:

It’s been a long wait, but now I’m here and it feels great to be back. The desire to return has been there since the day I left and I have followed the team closely during my years abroad. The club has made an impressive journey and I will return to Scandinavia’s best club.

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SC Lyon sign Tounkara

Former Sunderland forward Oumare Tounkara has become French third division side SC Lyon’s first signing of the off-season.

Tounkara had been on the books of Astra Giurgui who were fourth in the Romanian top flight before the season was halted but the 30-year-old has departed to join a Lyon side who are hoping to win promotion to Ligue 2 next season.

The player was at Sunderland for three years, joining the club in 2009, but only featured for the first team during pre-season of the 2010-11 season, before returning to France with Red Star.

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