With the dust having now settled from what was a heartbreaking end to the 2018/19 campaign for Sunderland, manager Jack Ross will be aiming to banish these memories by securing promotion to the Championship next season.

Yet in order to achieve this goal, it is paramount that the Scotsman gets his recruitment spot on this summer.

When you consider that the Black Cats have still yet to find a sufficient replacement for Josh Maja who left the club to join Ligue 1 side Bordeaux in January, it is not at all surprising that they have been linked with a move for one of the most deadly strikers in the lower divisions.

According to the Chronicle Live, Sunderland are reportedly interested in signing John Marquis from Doncaster Rovers who has been the subject of several bids from an unnamed club over the past week (via the Doncaster Free Press).

If Ross can fight off competition from elsewhere to secure the services of the forward, it could end up having several knock-on effects on his side's fortunes over the coming years.

Check them out below.

Marquis fires Sunderland to promotion

Having rattled in an incredible total of 36 goals in the past two seasons in League One for Doncaster, Marquis knows exactly what it takes to thrive at this particular level.

Therefore, if he can replicate this kind of form at the Stadium of Light during the upcoming campaign, there is no reason why the former Northampton Town loanee cannot secure promotion with Sunderland and thus bring an end to their time in the abyss of the third tier.

The Black Cats cut ties with Will Grigg

Signed in January by the Black Cats, Will Grigg was widely expected to be the man to take the club back to the Championship last month.

However, a failure to hit the ground running for Ross' side resulted in the Northern Ireland forward drifting in and out of the starting eleven towards the back end of the campaign.

Given his struggles in-front of goal for Sunderland, Grigg may be sold in the future by Sunderland if Marquis proves to be an adequate replacement for him as they would no longer require his services.

The 27-year-old's success is short-lived

Although there is no doubting that Marquis is a quality operator in the third tier, if he does help Sunderland get promoted, there is no guarantees that he will be able to make the step up in level to the Championship.

Having only scored five goals in 41 appearances during his time at Millwall in this particular division, the 27-year-old's potential success with the Black Cats could be short-lived as Ross may have to sell him on if he ends up failing again.