Sunderland boss Lee Johnson has revealed that he doesn't expect Charlie Wyke to return to the club after his contract at The Stadium of Light expired. 

Wyke signed for the Black Cats back in 2018, and went on to make 113 appearances in total for the club. He caught the eye with a number of strong performances in front of goal during the 2020/21 season, although his efforts weren't quite enough, as they missed out on promotion from League One, after a defeat to Lincoln City in their play-off semi-final.

Wyke netted 30 goals in 53 appearances for Sunderland, and it appears as though those impressive showings didn't go unnoticed this season.

Celtic, Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough, Millwall and Cardiff City have all been credited with interest in landing Wyke's signature, although it remains to be seen as to which club is leading the race to land his signature.

Speaking in a recent interview (quotes sourced from the Northern Echo), Johnson admitted that he doesn't expect Wyke to return to the club ahead of next season, but wouldn't rule out a return for the 28-year-old.

“Charlie, I would say the door is ajar, but we're certainly not expecting him to come back.

“I'd say that it would be him coming back to us and saying he wants to talk again, effectively.

“My gut says that he will move on, I'd say 95% that he'll move on. But we would leave the door ajar because at the moment, you never know."

Sunderland host Wigan Athletic in their opening match of the 2021/22 League One campaign, which is set to get underway on Saturday 7th August at The Stadium of Light.

The Verdict:

This is a frustrating update for Sunderland supporters to hear of.

Wyke has been brilliant for the Black Cats in the 2020/21 season, and without him, you have to question whether Sunderland would even be anywhere near the top-six in League One.

But with previous rumoured interest from Scottish giants Celtic, as well as clubs in the Championship, it seemed as though it was only going to be a matter of time before Wyke departed Sunderland.

Lee Johnson must look to find a good-enough replacement for the forward this summer, otherwise they might struggle in their bid to win promotion into the Championship next term.