NAZARIY Rusyn's days as a Sunderland player are coming to a close, with the forward set to return to his homeland to join FC Karpaty Lviv on a permanent deal.
According to reports in Ukraine, a fee between the two clubs has been agreed and the move could be finalised in the coming days.
It's said Sunderland will receive around £600,000 for Rusyn, which is a fine return for a forward who hasn't played for the Black Cats since January last year.
Rusyn has only made nine league starts and scored just two goals since joining Sunderland in 2023.
He spent the second half of the 2024/25 season on loan at Hajduk Split but the Croatian outfit opted against making the deal permanent last summer.
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The 27-year-old spent last season on loan in Poland with Arka Gdynia, scoring four league goals.
But he's now set to return to Ukraine to join Karpaty Lviv. It's said Rusyn is currently in the process of finalising agreement with the Black Cats. He has one-year left to run on his contract at the Stadium of Light.
Offloading Rusyn will be another boost for Sunderland, with Florent Ghisolfi working to trim their squad of players who don't feature in Le Bris' plans this summer.
Milan Aleksic last week joined Partizan Belgrade on a season-long loan, which includes a permanent option next summer.
Aleksic and Rusyn look set to be joined throughout the exit door by the likes of Timothee Pembele, Leo Hjelde and Aji Alese, who are all out of the first team picture.
Alan Browne spent last season on loan at Middlesbrough but it's unlikely Boro will make that deal permanent. Browne has a year to run on his contract and will be available for transfer. He's unlikely to be short of Championship options.
Arthur Masuaku is expected to be allowed to leave having spent the second half of the season on loan in France with Lens. The left-back, currently at the World Cup with DR Congo, has a year to run on his contract. As reported earlier this week, Sunderland also have a decision to make on Simon Adingra, with Monaco having reportedly opted against making his loan deal permanent.
Anthony Patterson is available to leave and has interest in the Championship. It's already been confirmed that Dan Neil and Niall Huggins will leave as free agents when their contracts expire at the end of this month.
Meanwhile, it's been confirmed that Sunderland will include an Under-21 side in next season's EFL Trophy.
The Black Cats are one of 16 Premier League clubs with Category One academies to join League One and Two sides in the competition. Also competing are Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur.
The draw for the group stages will take place on Sky Sports News on Thursday from 2.30pm.
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