Source: Sunderland make move to land 1st summer signing, Neil will be buzzing - opinion

A big update has emerged regarding Sunderland‘s pursuit of Alex Gorrin heading into the summer transfer window…

According to Football Insider, a source has revealed that the Black Cats have made their move to land the midfielder as their first signing ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

The report claims that he will be a free agent at the end of next month if he is unable to agree fresh terms with Oxford United, and Kristjaan Speakman is pouncing on the opportunity to snap the gem up.

A number of other clubs are also said to be keen on the 28-year-old’s services, whilst his current employers have not given up hope of keeping hold of him.

Neil will surely be buzzing with this news, as the Spaniard can be a solid addition to his Sunderland squad heading into next season.

In League One this season, Gorrin averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.83 across 13 matches prior to suffering a blow in the first half of the campaign. This comes after he averaged scores of 6.87 and 6.84 in the two previous third-tier campaigns, showing that he is a consistent performer at this level.

For context, Dan Neil, Corry Evans, Jay Matete, Carl Winchester and Lynden Gooch are among the Sunderland players who averaged ratings of 6.83 or lower this season.

This suggests that the Oxford man would provide strong competition in the middle of the park and bolster Neil’s options in that area. He has shown that he is a reliable player in League One and, if the Black Cats fail in the play-off final, he would be a shrewd addition to the squad for another crack at trying to get out of the division.

However, he is currently sidelined with an ACL injury that he sustained in November, which means that the club are running the risk of him returning in pre-season and