Report: Sunderland looking to sign another free agent with ‘vision and audacity’

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Sunderland have invited former Rangers and Celtic youngster Liam Burt to visit the Stadium of Light as they look to beat Barnsley to his signature, according to the Glasgow Evening Times.

With funds tight throughout the Football League, the Black Cats have made great use of the free-agent market so far this summer.

Remi Matthews, Aiden O’Brien, Danny Graham, Arbenit Xhemajli and Morgan Feeney have all moved to Wearside after finding themselves without a club, and now Burt could be set to join them in red and white.

The problem, however, is that Barnsley appear to be in pole position.

Gerhard Struber’s side dramatically secured another season of Championship football on the final day of 2019/20 and, since then, Burt has been on trial at Oakwell. The Glasgow-born 21-year-old has certainly made an impression too, scoring three times in three games during pre-season.

But Sunderland are not giving up just yet, especially now that a long-time transfer target is available for absolutely nothing.

Burt, a Scotland U21 international, started his career Rangers before making a controversial move across the city to join Old Firm rivals Celtic in 2019.

However, with the likes of Callum McGregor, Olivier Ntcham and Ryan Christie ahead of him in the pecking order, Burt has been forced to look elsewhere in an attempt to finally secure the first-team football he is striving for.

Whether Sunderland is the ideal destination remains to be seen.

The Black Cats currently do not have an attacking midfielder with Burt’s ‘vision, execution and audacity’, to quote Rangers youth coach Graeme Murty, with the Scot capable of adding some guile to an engine room full of grit.