Sunderland are lining up a move for Norwich City striker Cameron Jerome. It is being reported that the Canaries are set to battle it out with Derby County and Birmingham City in the race to sign the veteran English forward. The 31-year-old has just got back to full fitness after suffering from a back injury and could be sold for a cut-price fee in the region of £1.5m in order to decrease Norwich City’s high wage bill.
The Black Cats boss Chris Coleman is in dire need of a goal-scorer in the ongoing transfer market to help them in their quest to avoid relegation this season. Jerome has made a total of 17 appearances for Norwich City in this campaign and has scored 2 goals and made 2 assists so far. Although his recent record is not prolific by any means, the forward has a wealth of experience in English football and can definitely help Sunderland survive a potential relegation dogfight in the second half of the campaign.
Despite the Canaries’ increasing need to reduce their wage bill, their manager Daniel Farke is reluctant to let him leave in this transfer window. The forward signed for Norwich City in the summer of 2014 from Stoke City in a deal worth in the region of £4m and has 18 months remaining on his current contract to stay at Carrow Road, with the club also having an option to extend his contract for a further year in the summer of 2019.
Sunderland currently find themselves rock bottom of the Championship table in 24th place with a tally of just 22 points in 26 games. One of the major reasons for their recent misery is the lack of goals this season. Chris Coleman’s side needs an injection of quality in January, especially in the attacking positions with the club only scoring 29 goals in 26 league games so far.
Jerome has scored 32 goals in 211 Premier League appearances and 75 goals in 251 Championship matches throughout his career. His record may not be prolific, but he has a wealth of experience in English football which could help Sunderland’s cause of avoiding relegation at the end of the season. The forward has a knack for scoring goals in important matches and he could turn out to be a shrewd addition if the Black Cats are able to secure his services.
It remains to be seen whether Norwich City agree to sell Jerome this month and if Sunderland can fend off strong competition from fellow Championship rivals in the hunt for his signature.
