Sunderland have been linked with a move for the Derby County man.
It looks unlikely that Chris Martin will still be a Derby County player by the end of January.
This time last year, the Scotland international was desperately trying to engineer a return to Elland Road from his loan spell at Fulham. Now, however, Martin surely realises that his future lies elsewhere.
He has fallen to fifth place in the pecking order after Derby signed Cameron Jerome from Norwich City. And according to the Yorkshire Evening Post, the Rams even offered Leeds United the chance to sign him, only for his wage demands to exceed the club’s budget.
The Black Cats have been linked for a while now and it is understood that they have opened talks about a potential loan move to the Stadium of Light.
Though it appears that Sunderland have only made Martin their top target after seeing deals for Ben Woodburn and Jon Walters come crashing down.
The Championship’s bottom side looked set to sign Liverpool wonder-kid Woodburn on a temporary deal, reuniting the 18-year-old with Chris Coleman just a few months after the Black Cats boss handed the striker his Wales debut.
The report adds that a deal to sign 34-year-old Walters from Burnley is also dead in the water, with the Republic of Ireland international seemingly set to undergo surgery for an as yet unspecified injury.
Martin has only one league goal all season for Derby.
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