Sunderland midfielder set for transfer exit - Cardiff City, Reading FC & Barnsley should swoop ASAP | OneFootball

We looked at three League One clubs who should target Sunderland midfielder Jay Matete this summer.

Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris has confirmed that midfielder Jay Matete will be allowed to leave the Stadium of Light this summer, which could alert clubs from across the EFL.

Matete joined Sunderland from Fleetwood Town in January 2022, but after helping the club to promotion from League One, his game time became limited in the Championship, and he has not played a single minute for the Wearside outfit in over two-and-a-half years.

The 24-year-old has had a number of loan spells away from the Stadium of Light during that time, but after winning promotion from the third tier during his stints with Plymouth Argyle and Oxford United, his time with Bolton Wanderers last season was more frustrating as they missed out on the play-offs.

After Matete featured for Sunderland's academy team against Gateshead last weekend, rather than being involved with the first-team squad ahead of their return to the Premier League, Le Bris admitted that he is one of a number of players who are free to leave the club this summer.

With Matete now available for transfer, we looked at three League One clubs who should consider making a move for him.

Cardiff City

After their relegation from the Championship last season, Cardiff City are preparing for life back in the third tier of English football for the first time in 22 years.

New Bluebirds head coach Brian Barry-Murphy is yet to make a signing since taking over in South Wales last month, but he has had to contend with the departures of some key players, including influential midfield duo Joe Ralls and Andy Rinomhota.

Ralls made 409 appearances for Cardiff during a 15-year spell at the club prior to his exit this summer, while Rinomhota won the Players' Player of the Season award last term after an impressive individual campaign, so it will certainly be a tough task for Barry-Murphy to replace the pair.

The Bluebirds' midfield options could be depleted even further if Alex Robertson departs amid interest from as many as 12 Championship clubs, so the arrival of a player in Matete who is more than capable of performing the holding midfield role would surely be welcome for Barry-Murphy, and his previous League One promotion experience could come in useful next season.

Reading FC

A new era is underway at Reading after Rob Couhig's takeover brought former owner Dai Yongge's disastrous reign to an end in May, but manager Noel Hunt still has plenty of work to do if he is to build a squad capable of challenging for promotion next season.

As the Royals continue to live with the repercussions of Yongge's tenure, their squad is currently looking light in a number of areas, and while they have brought in five new players this summer, they are yet to sign any midfielders.

After the departures of Michael Craig and Tom Carroll, Reading do still have Ben Elliot, Tivonge Rushesha, Charlie Savage and Lewis Wing on their books, but the latter duo both possess a real attacking threat and should not be restricted to a deeper role.

The signing of a defensive midfielder like Matete would give more freedom to the likes of Savage and Wing to express themselves, as well as providing more depth in an important position, so the Royals should explore a deal for the out-of-favour Sunderland man.

Barnsley

After recording a disappointing 12th-placed finish in League One last season, Barnsley will be hoping to launch a more sustained promotion challenge in the upcoming campaign under new permanent head coach Conor Hourihane.

The Tykes have brought in four new signings so far this summer in Murphy Cooper, Nathanael Ogbeta, Reyes Cleary and David McGoldrick, but Hourihane may lose a number of his key players before the end of the transfer window, including midfielders Jon Russell and Luca Connell.

As FLW exclusively revealed last month, Derby County, Oxford United, Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City are all keeping tabs on Russell after an impressive season in which he scored 11 goals and provided two assists in 46 appearances, while Wycombe Wanderers have made two bids for Connell in recent weeks.

Of course, Matete is unlikely to offer the same kind of goalscoring threat as Russell, but he is a proven performer at League One level, which is exactly the type of player Barnsley would need if their star midfield duo were to depart, and he may relish the opportunity to work under Hourihane, who was a central midfielder himself during his playing days.