Sunderland utility man Luke O'Nien is said to be of interest to Luton Town, Millwall, Middlesbrough and Preston North End, with Football Insider stating that the quartet are looking to take advantage of the current contract stand off involving the player. 

O'Nien has been a regular feature under both Phil Parkinson and more recently Lee Johnson for the Black Cats and has played his part in 44 games across all competitions for the club as they eventually fell to defeat against Lincoln City in the Sky Bet League One play-offs.

Now it appears that the versatile former Wycombe Wanderers man's future is very much up in the air at the Stadium of Light, with his current contract being set to expire come the end of June.

This means that the 26-year-old is open to talks with other clubs at present as he grows closer to becoming a free agent, with the four aforementioned Championship sides appearing eager to offer him a jump up the divisions this summer.

The player has been in the North East since 2018 and has played in several different positions for Sunderland this term in order to fill in for injuries to several key players.

The Verdict 

This would be a big blow for Sunderland if they lost O'Nien as he has been arguably their most consistent performer this term aside from the likes of Charlie Wyke and Aiden McGeady.

There is now a very real risk that the Black Cats could lose some of their most prized assets for absolutely nothing this summer.

Missing out on promotion again has been a hammer blow and it appears that some of these players potentially packing their bags and heading elsewhere after falling short one too many times.

O'Nien will no doubt take his time to assess his options but at his age he would surely be open to moving up to the Championship after another frustrating season at the Stadium of Light.