Sunderland to move for ex-Newcastle striker

Sunderland are reportedly interested in signing former Newcastle United forward Luuk De Jong.

Having offloaded Connor Wickham to Premier League rivals Crystal Palace earlier this summer, plus fellow striker Steven Fletcher’s future at the Stadium of Light being in doubt, boss Dick Advocaat is hoping to sign a new forward ahead of the close of the transfer window.

De Jong, whose brother Siem plays for Tyne-Wear rivals Newcastle, scored an impressive 26 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions for Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven last season.

The 24-year-old, who has eight international caps for the Netherlands, also played for the Magpies during a loan spell in the 2013-14 campaign, only to fail to score in 12 appearances for Newcastle after arriving from Borussia Monchengladbach.

After suffering a disastrous start to the new Premier League campaign, with respective defeats to Leicester City and Norwich City, Black Cats boss Dick Advocaat is desperate to strengthen his attacking options as the club already start their bid to stave off relegation this term.