Newcastle are planning a shock move for Jordan Pickford.
According to a report in The Sun the Sunderland keeper could be thrown a Premier League lifeline with a move up the road to St James Park.
The news comes at the end of a horrific week for Sunderland fans who saw their club get relegated just days after Newcastle booked their return to the top flight.
Pickford has been the one shining light in Sunderland’s doomed season but there seems little prospect of the 23-year-old remaining at the Stadium of Light at the end of the summer transfer window.
Half a dozen Premier League clubs have already been linked with Pickford but with a World Cup season about to start the keeper will insist on moving to a club where he’ll go straight into the first team.
Newcastle will be able to offer that but it’s unlikely that Sunderland will sanction that deal even though the keeper has only got 12 months left on his contract.