Sunderland have sold Jeremain Lens to Besiktas this summer.
Grayson told his Sunderland’s squad that anybody that didn’t want to be on Wearside could feel free to ask for a transfer and they would be moved on.
And it seems that Lens was one of the players to take Grayson up on his offer.
Lens wanted a move away from Sunderland, following the Black Cats’ drop into the Championship, and the Dutchman has recently got his wish.
Despite having an impressive pre-season, Lens was sold to Besiktas earlier this week.
And Grayson said: “Jeremain Lens was one of the people who made it clear early on that he didn’t want to stay at the football club.
“What I told him from Day One is that he had to work hard, join in with what all the other players were doing, and he did that – you saw that in some of his performances in pre-season.
“But, ultimately, when we got the right bid we took it.”
Lens did not feature for Sunderland in their first match of the season, which came against Derby County last Friday.
The Black Cats are expected to invest the funds they have raised from Lens’ sale to improve the quality of their first-team squad.
Sunderland are next in action on Thursday, when they take on Bury in the League Cup.
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