According to TEAMtalk, West Ham United now want to sign Sunderland youngster Josh Hawkes.
It’s claimed that Sunderland risk losing the 22-year-old talent as they face up to another year in League One.
Lee Johnson has so far resisted temptation to use Hawkes in the first team despite his performances in the Under-23 side.
That could end up leaving Hawkes to move on, with West Ham and Crystal Palace both keen to lure him down to London.
Leeds United and Newcastle United both wanted to sign Hawkes last summer, and are thought to still be in the race for him now.
With one year left on his Sunderland deal, Hawkes is in a prime position to move on and could land himself a big summer move.
Hawkes only joined Sunderland from Hartlepool last summer, but 13 goals and six assists in Premier League have shown that he has great quality.
It seems bizarre that Sunderland aren’t using Hawkes given his form and the Premier League interest, and seeing him join a Premier League side would leave major questions to be answered.
A move to Newcastle would be very hard to take, but fans will surely be questioning just why Hawkes isn’t playing first-team football if he’s now being lined up for a top-flight move.
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