Sunderland have made an approach for Oxford United midfielder Alex Gorrin - a player who was once on the books of the Black Cats as a youngster - according to Football Insider.

The 28-year-old is set to depart the U's on a free transfer this summer when his contract expires, with The Mirror's David Anderson revealing that the Wearsiders are one of a number of clubs interested in the Spaniard.

Alex Neil's side are said to have now firmed up that initial interest with an enquiry as they look to strengthen the engine room regardless of what league they are plying their trade in next season, with the League One play-off final against Wycombe Wanderers happening this weekend.

Gorrin signed for Oxford in 2019 from Motherwell and has made 83 third tier appearances for the club, but just 13 in the 2021-22 season as he suffered an ACL injury in late October which curtailed his campaign.

He is no stranger to Sunderland as a club, having joined the Black Cats from Tenerife as a 16-year-old and went on to captain the youth team before eventually being released in the summer of 2014.

The Verdict

Sunderland already have an array of central midfielders, but they could potentially do with someone other than Corry Evans - who hasn't exactly been great this season - to break up play and keep things ticking.

Gorrin has definitely done that for Oxford in the last few years, and the fact he already knows Sunderland as a club having played for them in the past is good.

However, there would surely be major doubts over Gorrin's fitness considering the knee injury that he suffered in 2021 - by the time the new season begins he will have not played in a match for nine months.

There's also a question of whether the Spaniard is good enough to step up to the Championship - the Black Cats of course are not there yet but they could very well be and there may be more suitable alternatives out there.