Danny Graham is training with Sunderland with a view to building up his fitness levels ahead of a potential move to the Stadium of Light, according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon.

Graham is a free agent having left his previous club Blackburn following the end of his contract, with the experienced striker having registered four goals in 38 Championship appearances for Rovers last term – and the 35-year-old will be hoping to secure a move before the start of the new season.

Sunderland have been linked with a move to re-sign Graham throughout the window, with the striker having spent a largely underwhelming three-year spell with the Black Cats between 2013 and 2016 before he made the permanent switch to Blackburn where he rediscovered his best form.

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It is thought that Graham is now training with Phil Parkinson’s side in order to build up his match fitness ahead of a potential move to Sunderland, but that as of yet the 35-year-old is yet to agree terms with the Black Cats who are wanting him to be fully fit before tying up any deal.

The verdict

You can see why Sunderland are wanting to make sure they can be guaranteed that Graham is as fully fit as possible before sanctioning any deal to re-sign him, with the 35-year-old coming towards the end of his career, but he was fit for pretty much all of last term for Blackburn in the Championship.

Graham would be a good addition to the current Sunderland squad, especially during a time where clubs in League One are having to alter the way they sign players due to the new restrictions over wages and the 35-year-old may be a cost effective addition who could add more of a goal threat.

The striker showed in his previous season in League One with Blackburn that he can be a real handful at that level, and if he could replicate the form he showed in scoring 14 goals for Rovers in the 2017/18 season in the third tier, then he could help fire the Black Cats to promotion this term.