Sunderland namechecked as pundit makes Premier League transfer prediction on Sam Szmodics | OneFootball

It is unlikely that Premier League clubs will look to sign Blackburn Rovers attacker Sammie Szmodics in the summer transfer window.

That's according to Don Goodman, who has suggested that a move to a Championship club with ambitions of promotion, such as Sunderland, may be his best chance of reaching the top-flight.

Szmodics has enjoyed an outstanding individual campaign for Blackburn over the course of this season.

Despite his side's struggles, the 28-year-old has scored 30 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions, giving his side hope of avoiding relegation from the Championship in the process.

As a result, it looks as though this could be a summer of speculation when it comes to the future of Szmodics.

However, Goodman himself believes that a move elsewhere in the Championship, may be the most likely outcome for the Republic of Ireland international if he is to leave Ewood Park.

Goodman backs Szmodics as a strong Sunderland signing

Having qualified for the Championship play-offs last season, this has been a more underwhelming campaign for Sunderland.

The Black Cats look set to finish in mid-table this season, with their decision to sack Tony Mowbray as manager not working out, with replacement Michael Beale lasting only a number of weeks in the role.

Even so, they will be aiming to win promotion to the Premier League once again next season.

Goodman now seemingly believes Szmodics could help them to do that, while also suggesting it may be the attacker's most likely route to the top-flight.

However, he does admit that the Black Cats would need to move away from their policy of targeting younger players in the window to get this deal done.

Responding to a question about whether the club should look to sign the Blackburn man, the former Sunderland striker was quoted by The Chronicle as saying: “Do I think Sammie Szmodics would be a good addition for Sunderland? Yes. But based on their recruitment strategy of signing younger players they just wouldn’t go for him.

“Sammie’s got to keep on working hard and he may get an opportunity to move to a club that has an opportunity to reach the Premier League, with all respect to Blackburn. The only way he could reach the Premier League is by getting promoted with a club like Sunderland.

“With respect to him as a player, the step up is massive, I would never say he can't make the step up, but looking at his career, I'd say he's at his peak and a Premier League team will not come in for him.

“It's no dig at him, the same statement applies to a whole load of players in the Championship.”

As things stand, there are two years remaining on Szmodics' contract with Blackburn, who have the option to extend that deal by a further 12 months.

That, of course, means his future at Ewood Park is effectively secured until the end of the 2026/27 season.

Szmodics warrants Premier League interest

This does feel like a somewhat unexpected assessment of the situation from Goodman in all honesty.

Of course, there can be no denying this would be a good signing for Sunderland. Szmodics has shone in the Championship in a struggling Blackburn side this season, showing how much he could bring to a side chasing promotion.

Indeed, the experience he brings and the example he sets could certainly help a young squad, such as the one the Black Cats currently have at The Stadium of Light.

However, given multiple Premier League clubs have already been credited with an interest in him, it would not be a surprise if he is given the chance to move to the top-flight this summer.

Given what he has done in a struggling Blackburn side, there aren't many who would say he doesn't deserve such a chance if it comes to him.

Indeed, he is on course to finish as the Championship's top scorer this season while playing in a struggling side, and it is hard to see what more he would need to do to justify interest from the Premier League.

It could also be argued that the Ewood Park club may be reluctant to sell Szmodics to a rival such as Sunderland, if they are indeed able to avoid relegation from the Championship this season.

Considering they thrashed the Black Cats 5-1 just a couple of weeks ago, Rovers may also feel they have a chance of competing with the likes of Sunderland from next season, if they can avoid relegation, given they could then have money from the January sale of Adam Wharton to invest in their squad over the summer transfer window.

All of that means it would feel like a big surprise if we were to see Szmodics at the Stadium of Light on a regular basis from next season.