Will Grigg is said to not be interested in a move to a League Two side this month, despite lingering interest from Salford City, according to Simon Stone of BBC Sport.

Sunderland manager Phil Parkinson has been keen to shift players out of the club this month that are either surplus to requirements or not performing well enough to stay, and one of those is Northern Ireland striker Will Grigg.

Grigg signed for the Black Cats last January and hasn’t been able to capture the form that made him one of the deadliest strikers in League One during his time at MK Dons and Wigan Athletic most notably. 

One club that has taken a particular interest in his services this month is newly-promoted League Two side Salford City, who have caught the eye in their rise to the EFL with a number of high-profile signings for the division they are in and have set their sights on making Will Grigg the latest addition to their rising team, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

However, this deal has hit a major snag as Grigg has reportedly rejected a move to the League Two side as he doesn’t want to drop down a division for a transfer away this month, but the Black Cats are cautious over sending him to a rival club in their division, according to BBC Sport.

There appears to be a stalemate at the moment between the player and the club as Sunderland would prefer him to go to a different division and not cause their promotion bid any harm, while Grigg would rather play in League One than League Two.

Can you name the season in which these Sunderland images were taken?

The verdict

It’s not surprising that Grigg isn’t keen on a drop in standard this month having had such a strong career at League One level.

Salford would be a financially viable move for the striker as they have been competing with clubs in divisions above them for other major signings in recent weeks.

It is also unsurprising that Sunderland are reluctant to let him leave to a League One club because his goals could fire another team up the league at the Black Cats’ expense.

However, Grigg might need to drop down to recapture his form and the move to Salford would definitely help him do that.