Sunderland have agreed a deal to take former Burnley striker Tinashe Chakwana to the Stadium of Light, as reported by The Herald.

The 20-year-old is a Zimbabwean international who recently found himself released by Burnley Under 23s after a promising couple of seasons.

He's been the leading scorer at Under 18 level for the Clarets, and again for the Under 23 in 2017/18, but found himself looking for a new club this summer.

He's previously been described as the 'new Jermaine Defoe', something likely to appeal to Sunderland supporters who still hold the former England striker in high esteem.

It was believed after his exploits in the youth set-up a loan move was next for the young striker, but that didn't materialise and although he's likely to link up with Sunderland's Under 23 side, appearances in the EFL Trophy are likely to bring a senior debut.

Sunderland have struggled to recruit players this summer, with Conor McLaughlin the only incoming face at the present time.

The investment by Mark Campbell appears to have stalled with no recent updates for fans to get positive about and, over the weekend, reports surfaced that MLS sides might be interested in last season's key player, Aiden McGeady.

The Verdict

It's not the striker they hoped to sign, but Sunderland fans shouldn't write this move off too early.

A couple of years ago a news story slipped by; a youngster called Josh Maja had signed for the club. Look what happened there.

Elliot Dickman's Under 23 sides are a strong outfit and the development of youngsters is high on the list of priorities at the Stadium of Light. As well as Maja there has been Elliot Embleton, Joel Asoro, George Honeyman and Lynden Gooch progress to the first team, to name but a few.

Who knows, the name of Tinashe Chakwana could be the latest to be added to that list as this season progresses.