Sunderland face heavy competition from Ipswich Town in their pursuit of Everton striker Ellis Simms.
The newly-promoted club have made a £3.5 million bid for Simms, according to The Sun.
The Black Cats are eager to bring the forward back to the club after his loan spell was cut short during the January transfer window and Sunderland failed to replace him.
The 22-year-old claimed nine goal contributions in 17 matches in the Championship before he returned to Goodison Park and spent most of his time on the bench.
Simms only has one year left on his contract on Merseyside, so the Toffees could look to make a profit on him this summer.
Sean Dyche’s side have been linked with the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Moussa Dembele, leaving Simms likely to be surplus to requirements.
The Northern Echo have reported that Sunderland are continuing to monitor Simms’ situation. However, they may have to act on their interest if they are to challenge Ipswich.
Sunderland should splash the cash on Ellis Simms
Sunderland have managed to limit their spending since their return to the Championship, yet Simms is one player they shouldn’t let slip from their grasp.
The Black Cats already saw Nathan Broadhead opt for a move to Ipswich rather than a return to the Stadium of Light and Simms would be a much more important addition than his former Everton teammate.
The striker formed a brilliant partnership with Ross Stewart up top and showed traits of a fantastic goal-scorer during his time on Wearside.
Sunderland’s pursuit of young and cheap players has clearly worked so far, but their owners should consider forking out some transfer funds for a player that would undoubtedly play his part in their bid for promotion.
The fans demand the long awaited return of SAS on Wearside!
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