Having been unsuccessful in their pursuit of Poland international Marcin Bulka, who is joining Saudi Arabian side NEOM, the Black Cats quickly switched their attention to Petrovic, who has been deemed surplus to requirements at Chelsea.
Sunderland’s recruitment team are understood to have agreed the framework of a deal worth around £21.5m with their counterparts at Stamford Bridge and are trying to engineer a swift resolution to the ongoing discussions.
This has already been a busy week on Wearside, with the club having confirmed the purchase of Habib Diarra from Strasbourg and also tied up deals for Union Saint Gilloise midfielder Noah Sadiki and former Atletico Madrid full-back Reinildo.
With newly-appointed director of football, Florent Ghisolfi, now embedded as a key part of the recruitment operation, Sunderland have made the pursuit of Petrovic their number one priority.
However, they are not the only club to have held talks with Chelsea over the Serbia international, who spent last season playing in the French top-flight with Strasbourg, where he was a team-mate of Diarra.
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Bournemouth are also understood to have held advanced discussions as they look to sign a replacement for Kepa Arrizabalaga, who spent last season on loan at the Vitality Stadium, but who completed a permanent move to Arsenal from Chelsea earlier this week.
Bournemouth have discussed financial terms of their own with the Chelsea hierarchy, with two continental clubs also believed to be involved ongoing talks over Petrovic.
Sunderland officials are aware of the competition, hence their desire to hold personal talks with Petrovic and his representatives as quickly as possible. Ideally, Sunderland would like to have the situation resolved before the end of the weekend.
The arrival of a new goalkeeper would inevitably cast doubt over the future of Anthony Patterson, who was the Black Cat’s first-choice shot-stopper as they won promotion from the Championship last season.
Patterson has been heavily linked with a possible move to Southampton in the last 24 hours, with the Saints expected to lose Aaron Ramsdale at some point this summer. Ramsdale’s contract reportedly contains a £20m release clause which is now active following Southampton’s relegation last season.
Sunderland have also been linked with a move for Nice left-back Melvin Bard. The 24-year-old made 34 Ligue 1 appearances last season, attracting interest from the Black Cats as well as a number of other clubs on the continent. However, the French media are reporting that Nice are reluctant to sell Bard as they prepare for a Champions League qualifying campaign next month.
