Josh Key said he is flattered by interest from the likes of Sunderland but insists that he could stay at ‘hometown club’ Exeter City for the time being, while speaking to the BBC.
With just four days left in the transfer window, the Devon-native looks set to stay at a club who kickstarted their League Two campaign in some style last weekend, hammering Joey Barton’s beleaguered Bristol Rovers 4-1 in front of an eager St James’ Park crowd.
Key, an Exeter academy graduate, will certainly miss those supporters when the time comes to say goodbye.
But it seems that a farewell can wait, for the time being at least.
Third-tier giants Sunderland made an opening bid of £1 million for the all-action right-back a few weeks ago, but even a seven-figure offer was not enough to twist Exeter’s arm (Northern Echo).
Grecians boss Matt Taylor insists that no one has come close to their valuation for 21-year-old Key.
Exeter are under no pressure to sell either, having already strengthened their coffers by cashing in on Joe Randall.
While Key is thrilled to learn that his eye-catching performances are not going unnoticed, he hardly sounds like a man in a rush to move on.
Who will be the Key to solving Sunderland’s right-back problems?
“(The transfer speculation) give you confidence to really push forward,” Key said. “Any young player wants to be recognised by other teams as a good player.
“Something like that is very easy to let it get in the way of your performances. But right now, I’m playing at my hometown club Exeter, so I’m happy and I’m going to give it all I can whilst I’m here.
“I could be here for the next five or 10 years, who knows. I’m just going to keep performing and doing my best for the club and the fans, and if I perform well that speaks for itself. ”
Sunderland are desperate to bring in a new right-back, with central midfielder Carl Winchester having been forced to fill in during the club’s first four League One fixtures.
Jordan Gabriel of Nottingham Forest has been linked.
The Black Cats are also interested in Arsenal youngster Ryan Alebiosu – a fact confirmed by the player’s agent and a man who will be very familiar to Sunderland supporters…
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