Following Sunderland’s relegation from the Premier League, Jordan Pickford’s future has been well speculated, with the 23-year old set to leave the Stadium of Light over the summer, but only for an enormous transfer-fee.

Everton have reportedly had an £8m bid rejected by the Black Cats for Pickford, with the Toffees’ bid falling way short of the £30m valuation that Sunderland have for the goalkeeper.

However, it is likely that Pickford will leave this summer, with a top-flight club surely willing to meet somewhere between Everton and Sunderland’s valuations, to secure the service of the talented 23-year old.

Should Pickford leave the Stadium of Light this summer, Sunderland will be looking to replace him in the transfer window, and one player who could interest the Black Cats is Dimi Konstantopoulos, whose future at Middlesbrough remains unclear, with the goalkeeper out of contract at the Riverside Stadium in July.

Middlesbrough’s ongoing search for a head-coach has cast doubt of Konstantopoulos’ future, and despite the 38-year old willing to stay at the Riverside Stadium, he has not yet received a contract renewal.

Konstantopoulos barely featured for Boro last season in the Premier League, but played a significant role for the club in the 2014/15 season, as they reached the play-off final, but then more so the following year, when Boro achieved automatic promotion to the Premier League.

During the 2015/16 campaign, Konstantopoulos featured in every Championship fixture for Boro, as they finished runners-up to Burnley and earned their place in the top-flight for the 2016/17 season.

Should Sunderland lose Pickford, Konstantopoulos could prove to be an excellent short-term replacement. At 38, the goalkeeper can’t be seen as Pickford’s long-term replacement, but if the Black Cats are serious about returning to the Premier League next season, a goalkeeper with promotion experience must be brought in.