Sunderland are preparing to lose another of their young talents as 20-year-old defender Brandon Taylor is wanted by a number of top-flight sides.
Taylor is on the cusp of a breakthrough into the senior side
Bournemouth, Everton, Leicester City and Southampton have all sent scouts to watch Taylor in action for Sunderland's Under-23 side in recent weeks, and they have all been impressed by what they saw.
Taylor, who is primarily a centre-back but is also comfortable on the right, has just six months remaining on his contract at the Stadium of Light, and Sunderland are bracing themselves for his departure.
The Black Cats have lost plenty of their young talent in recent seasons, with the likes of Josh Maja, Paddy McNair and Joel Asoro all leaving the club for Bordeaux, Middlesbrough and Swansea City respectively.
Taylor could soon follow the group out the exit door, and he is expected to have no shortage of offers to choose from.
Having narrowly avoided promotion back to the Championship, Sunderland find themselves sixth in the League One standings this time around, and that pressure to return to the second tier has contributed to Taylor's lack of first-team minutes.
Phil Parkinson's side have just a one-point cushion in the race for the playoffs, but they may have to face the remainder of the campaign without Taylor.
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Source : 90min