Sunderland chief executive Martin Bain has revealed the club are already sounding out players as they look to build a squad to bounce back immediately to the Championship.

However, he has expressed his shock at some of the fees that are demanded for players to play in the third tier and admitted to the Sunderland Echo that they will be looking at free agents in the coming weeks.

"We haven’t been standing still in recent weeks and months when it comes to recruitment, even if we don’t really know what we’re dealing with."

"You wouldn’t believe some of the values being attached, even at that level. Whether that is because we’re Sunderland, I don’t know."

The club's financial situation means that they will have to search for bargains in the coming months.

"In the past fortnight, I’ve probably spoken to five or six agents about players who are coming out of contract and fit the bill for us."

The Black Cats were relegated from the Championship with two games still to play after a 2-1 defeat at home to Burton Albion on Saturday.

The Verdict

Sunderland has been run disastrously over the years and they really need to get things right this summer, although you can understand why fans will have no faith in the likes of Bain to turn things around.

It's good to hear that they are already making moves and lining up players but ultimately it's about what actually happens.

Now's not the time for talking and sending out positive messages, instead they need to deliver and find players that can help the side return to the second tier straight away.

Thoughts, Sunderland fans? Let us know in the comments below.