Sunderland manager Jack Ross has confirmed that he is interested in Celtic attacker Ryan Christie, however he does not expect to be able to sign the Scotland international any time soon.
Christie, 23, was in brilliant form while on loan at Aberdeen in 2017/18, scoring eight goals and supplying 15 assists in 42 appearances across all competitions.
However in Celtic’s opening fixtures of this campaign, he has made just two appearances off the bench in the Champions League.
Despite his lack of game time at Parkhead, Ross is clearly hoping that he can bring Christie to the English League One before the end of the month.
“Ryan is a player that I like, he has good qualities but again it is a balance between what we need in the squad,” said Ross, as quoted by the Daily Record on their live transfer blog on Thursday [08:56am].
“He is a left-footer and we don’t have a lot of them in the squad in forward areas. He is a player that I am acutely aware of and he fits the kind of bracket in terms of he has played a lot of games for a young man.
“At the moment we are where we are and I don’t envisage anything changing quickly.”
OPINION
Christie is in the final year of his contract at Celtic and if Brendan Rodgers was to send him out on loan yet again, they he may have to sort out a new deal for the attacking midfielder first so that he does not leave Glasgow on a free transfer next summer. Sunderland could may work an option to buy clause in any potential loan deal for Christie, but given the fact that they could sign him for free in a years’ time, that seems unlikely. It’s a tough situation that Christie will find himself in. He knows that he won’t get much football for the Hoops this season but he also knows that he will probably have to pen a new deal in order to be loaned out. The 23-year-old’s best bet is to attract interest in a permanent move from a nation where the transfer window is still fully open. However there probably aren’t many Scottish clubs who can afford him.