Sunderland manager Phil Parkinson has admitted it is unlikely that the club will sign striker Gary Madine as things stand.

Madine is a free agent having been released by Championship side Cardiff City earlier this week, after failing to score a single goal in 28 appearances for the Welsh side after joining from Bolton in January 2018.

That had seen links arise suggesting that a move to the Stadium of Light could be imminent, but having just signed Northern Ireland striker Kyle Lafferty on a deal until the end of the season, it appears Sunderland will not be pushing to add Madine to their ranks as well anytime soon.

Speaking after his side's 4-0 win over Wycombe on Saturday, Parkinson was asked about the possibility of completing a move for Madine, with the Sunderland boss quoted by The Chronicle as saying: “Not at the moment with Gaz.

“We have brought Lafferty in and we’ve got Charlie [Wyke], [Will] Grigg, and [Marc] McNulty, so we are starting to build some good competition at that top end.”

But despite a deal for Madine seemingly being a no-go for now, it appears Sunderland fans may not have to wait long to see their club add some new recruits to their side.

Asked about the possibility of any other new additions in the coming days, Parkinson then went on to admit: “I wouldn’t imagine anything else will happen over the weekend, but we are working on things early next week.”

The Verdict

This is an interesting one.

Despite his struggles with Cardiff, Madine did impress while on loan with Sheffield United during the second half of last season, helping them secure promotion to the Premier League.

It could be argued therefore, that Madine could do a job at League One level for a side such as Sunderland, meaning this may be one to keep an eye on still.

Indeed, it seems the main reason Parkinson is reluctant to sign him right now, is because he doesn't want to overload his squad with forwards, so you wonder if he could once again explore the possibility of a move for Madine if one of his current crop of attackers ends up leaving the club this month.