Sunderland have reportedly agreed a £13M deal with Championship side Ipswich Town for highly-rated striker Connor Wickham, who's drawn interest from across England after a season in which he scored nine goals in 37 league appearances as an 18-year-old. Wickham has seen some time with the England under-21 side this year, but his most successful international spell was as an under-17 player, where he scored nine times in thirteen matches.
Sunderland Transfer Rumors: Connor Wickham Deal Agreed With Ipswich
Wickham has shown flashes of brilliance in his young career, and Sunderland will be expecting him to develop further into a top-tier home-grown talent. Steve Bruce and company aren’t the only side after him, however, with several clubs expected to join the chase now that Ipswich have accepted the bid. Blues manager Paul Jewel has indicated that he’s not in any particular rush to sell, meaning that he may be hoping a bidding war begins for Wickham’s services:
There is no point in getting uptight about it. We don’t want to sell Connor Wickham but if he wants to leave and the right offer comes in we will have to consider it. Connor has never given me any indication that he wants to leave. Our backs are not against the wall and we are in control of the situation.
Sunderland, who were pretty clearly missing Darren Bent towards the end of the 2010/11 campaign, where they collapsed to a mid-table finish after at one point being strong candidates for a European place. A striker is just what they need to make things interesting again, and if Wickham develops like many think he might, £13M will look like a bargain in a few years.
For more on Connor Wickham and Sunderland, visit Roker Report.
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