Sunderland AFC player set to join Alex Neil at Millwall | OneFootball

Sunderland striker Aaron Connolly is poised to join Championship rivals Millwall

Sunderland striker Aaron Connolly is set to seal a departure from the Stadium of Light to join Alex Neil at Millwall despite only joining the Championship promotion hopefuls in September as a free agent.

That's according to a fresh update from Roker Report, where Connolly's impending switch to Millwall has been revealed on Monday afternoon.

The Black Cats have been active in the January transfer window to date by completing a stunning deal for on-loan Roma midfielder Enzo Le Fee, who formerly played under Regis Le Bris in Ligue 1 with Lorient.

However, the Frenchman is also intent on clearing house this month as a host of players have been lined up for the exit door, and Connolly is now set to depart in a mid-season switch after finding frequent opportunities difficult to come by this term.

Aaron Connolly set to leave Sunderland AFC for Alex Neil's Millwall

The report does not discuss any potential fee involved, but it does confirm that Millwall, who recently appointed ex-Black Cats boss Neil, have agreed a deal to bring Connolly down from Wearside.

This comes after Le Bris suggested an exit was on the cards for Connolly, who agreed a short-term deal with the club last September to join as a free agent following his release by Championship rivals Hull City.

When asked what the future could hold for Connolly, Le Bris told the Northern Echo: "We’ll see. It’s still important we have this discussion and conversation with him this month and we’ll look to build the best pathway for our players.

"Sometimes it’s not your story. We don’t know at the moment what will be the outcome, we’ll have this conversation."

Seemingly, that outcome has since been sealed in what will likely come as no shock to Sunderland supporters.

Connolly's stay on Wearside has been brief and rather unsuccessful too, as far as all parties are concerned.

The 24-year-old scored eight times in the Championship for Hull last term despite not being a regular starter under then-boss Liam Rosenior, but consistent minutes have proved even more elusive at Sunderland.

Connolly has made 10 Championship appearances across 240 minutes of football this season, but just two of those were starts, with the nine-cap Republic of Ireland international behind top scorer Wilson Isidor in Le Bris' pecking order.

Ironically, his first and, as it would seem, only Sunderland goal came against the Lions in a 1-1 draw back in November, which saw him open the scoring after just 10 minutes.

But Connolly, who has endured a difficult few years after initially enjoying an emphatic breakthrough in first-team football with Brighton and Hove Albion, will hope to really kickstart his career under Neil at Millwall.