By CHARLIE GORDON

Sunderland are the most advanced of any club pursuing Dynamo Kyiv striker Vladyslav Vanat this summer.

Various Premier League sides have been mentioned in relation to the 23-year-old, who boasts an impressive goals record in his native Ukraine.



But the Black Cats have taken the most concrete action to date.

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Express Sport understands that even before the end of last season, Sunderland had formulated a plan to go after Vanat if they were promoted to the top flight.

They made sure of that with a 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the play-off final, and club chiefs have retained their interest in the centre-forward.

Up to now, Sunderland are the only Premier League side holding formal talks with Vanat's camp.

Reports indicate that Dynamo are demanding as much as £21million for Vanat, who has never played club football outside of his homeland.

And the Ukrainian outfit are determined not to budge on price.

Bosses in Kyiv ideally want to keep Vanat for their Champions League qualifying campaign, which is scheduled to begin on July 22.

They are also aware of the difficulty of bringing a high-quality replacement to Ukraine, given the country's complex political climate.