Middlesbrough, Sheffield United and QPR join Rangers in transfer hunt for Sunderland man | OneFootball

Sunderland striker Ross Stewart is being chased by a host of Championship clubs this summer, as well as Scottish giants Rangers carrying on their interest – according to a report from the print edition of The Mirror (May 26, page 62).

Stewart is coming off the back of a prolific first full season at the Black Cats, where he scored 26 times in 49 league outings – the last of which came in the League One play-off final against Wycombe Wanderers at Wembley this past weekend.

The Scot arrived at the Stadium of Light in January 2021 from Ross County as competition for Charlie Wyke, and following the latter’s departure to Wigan Athletic last summer, Stewart fit nicely into his goalscoring boots.

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His performances have not gone unnoticed though, with Sheffield United, Queens Park Rangers and Middlesbrough all keen on making transfer approaches for the 25-year-old, who will soon enter the final 12 months of his contract.

Sunderland are hoping to tie the forward down to a new long-term deal and make him the highest paid player at the club, according to the report from The Mirror, but the second tier trio are looking to take advantage if an agreement can’t be reached.

The same can be said for Rangers, who were linked last month by The Northern Echo with a move for Stewart, and the Europa League finalists have not been put off by Sunderland’s promotion in regards to their interest.

The Verdict

Whoever wants to try and take Stewart away from Sunderland this summer is going to have to have very deep pockets to do so.

Despite having 12 months left on his deal going into the 2022-23 season, the Black Cats are naturally going to rebuff bids for their talisman as they will believe keeping him gives them the best shot of finishing as high up the Championship table as possible next season.

However, they have to be wary of the fact that Stewart may not want to extend his contract with the club, and in-turn they could receive an offer that satisfies their demand.

You’d imagine though that Sunderland will not want to sell to a divisional rival, which could rule out the entirety of the Championship – Rangers though are a different story and that could be a tempting one.