Sunderland are reportedly keen on Preston striker Jordan Hugill.
Earlier this week, the Northern Echo reported that Sunderland are eyeing up Preston North End striker Jordan Hugill as a ‘cheaper alternative’ to Ross McCormack – but Simon Grayson will have to pay up for him anyway.
Grayson, who was appointed as Sunderland manager last month, has already signed three players he has worked with previously, with Tyias Browning, Aiden McGeady and James Vaughan all arriving at the Stadium of Light.
Simon Grayson
Even after signing Vaughan, another striker is still needed, and Grayson is again being linked with two forwards he has managed before, in Aston Villa’s Ross McCormack and Preston’s Jordan Hugill.
Whilst the Northern Echo report that Sunderland are targeting Hugill as a cheaper option to McCormack, the reality is that Grayson stands little chance of signing the striker on the cheap this summer.
Hugill, 25, joined North End from Port Vale in 2014, and he impressed in the Championship last season with 12 goals in 44 games, prompting major interest in his signature this summer.
Whilst Sunderland may believe that they can land Hugill for a reasonable price, Grayson may have set the market himself with comments he made about the striker last season.
Preston’s Jordan Hugill scores their second goal against Aston Villa
Back in February, Grayson told the Lancashire Evening Post that he had quoted Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy a fee of £4million for Hugill, and Preston will feel that Hugill has surpassed that valuation having continued to score since Grayson’s comments.
Add in that Preston won’t be keen on selling Hugill to Grayson after the new Sunderland boss signed loanee McGeady and took Glynn Snodin and Ian Miller to Wearside with him, and the notion that Sunderland can sign Hugill as a cheaper alternative to McCormack may be misguided.
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