Newcastle United and Everton are among the clubs reportedly interested in Sunderland forward Josh Maja.
Maja is out of contract at the Black Cats at the end of the season, and Sunderland owner Stewart Donald has revealed on Twitter that the 20-year-old forward has decided not to sign a new deal.
According to The Daily Mail, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Huddersfield Town are interested in the youngster, while The Northern Echo has credited Everton, Tottenham, Southampton, Manchester City, Middlesbrough and Millwall with interest in the forward.
Sunderland manager Ross has suggested that he is not under pressure to sell the youngster despite his decision not to sign a new contract.
Ross told The Chronicle about Maja: “You have to temper it by saying that he has chosen not to sign a new contract but he hasn’t asked to leave the club – they are two very different things, and I think people should take that on board because it gets forgotten about.
“He has never come to me and said he doesn’t want to be here. As things stand, he has just not chosen to take the option to extend his contract.”
The Sunderland boss added: “There is no duress on us to get rid of him either from the owner or from my perspective as the manager and I would hope that would continue to be the case because he is an asset to me on the pitch.”
Dilemma
Maja is one of the best players at Sunderland at the moment, and losing the young forward in the middle of the season could be detrimental to the Black Cats’ chances of winning automatic promotion to the Championship.
However, Sunderland could get a decent transfer fee if they sell Maja this month, and they could then invest that money and sign a suitable replacement.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
