New Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has identified Queens Park Rangers midfielder Sandro as one of his top targets for the January transfer window, according to The Mirror. 

Sunderland have had a poor start to the new campaign and Allardyce, who replaced Dick Advocaat during the international break, wants to add some fight to his midfield and sees the former Tottenham Hotspur man as the one for the job.

The 26-year old arrived at Loftus Road last summer as previous manager Harry Redknapp wanted to add some Premier League experience to his newly-promoted side, although he only made 17 appearances last term due to recurrent injuries.

Sandro joined Tottenham for £8 million back in 2010, and went on to appear over 100 times for Spurs, including numerous games in the UEFA Europa League.

He was impressive throughout his early years at White Hart Lane, although fell down the pecking order in the latter seasons, prompting former manager Redknapp to snap him up last summer.

At the end of last season, Sandro had some issues with his visa and was forced to return to Brazil until Rangers could sort out the situation, meaning that he missed the start to QPR's Championship campaign as well.

He is now building up his fitness after his visa issue was sorted out and will hope to help Rangers climb the table.

Whether Sunderland go in for him in January remains to be seen, but he's proved in the past that he is more than capable of playing his trade in the top-flight.

QPR fans...what do you make of the news? Can you afford to let Sandro leave the club? How much would you want for him? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!