Championship strugglers Sunderland have made an enquiry about signing Alex Gilliead on loan from North East rivals Newcastle United in January.
While Rafa Benitez will be hoping for plenty of incomings at Newcastle United during the January transfer window, he may also be busy discussing the future of a number of players already on the club’s books.
According to The Chronicle, Adam Armstrong, Sean Longstaff, Alex Gilliead and Stuart Findlay are due to return to Tyneside in January with their loan spells away from St James’ set to come to an end.
But Benitez must decide whether or not to send the young quartet out again in January to get more first-team experience under their belts.
And it will be interesting to see where Benitez stands on the future of winger Alex Gilliead. The report adds that Bradford City are keen to keep the North East local at Valley Parade after an impressive first-half of the season.
But Gilliead’s fine displays in the third tier have attracted interest from higher up the footballing pyramid with Championship trio Millwall, Hull City and bitter local rivals Sunderland all keen.
It is understood that Sunderland manager Chris Coleman wants to add to his attacking options and he would give Gilliead the chance to prove himself at Championship level – though Newcastle fans may not be too happy about the prospect of one of their most exciting academy graduates donning the red and white of their arch enemies.
But it seems that Sunderland will receive an answer about their Gilliead enquiry in the coming days with Newcastle needing to make a decision about his short-term future.
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