League One side Sunderland have moved ahead of third-tier rivals Sheffield Wednesday in the race for Stoke City centre-back Danny Batth, as per a Twitter update from The Sun's Alan Nixon.

The Black Cats saw former loanee and West Ham United central defender Frederik Alves return to the London Stadium earlier this month as he was recalled early from his loan spell.

This has left a vacancy for manager Lee Johnson to fill between now and the end of the month as he seeks to have the depth required to deal with injuries, suspensions and Covid cases in the race for a return to the Championship.

This could present an opportunity to 31-year-old Batth, who found himself omitted from the first-team squad altogether last weekend in Sunday's tie against Hull City.

Although Leo Ostigard's return to Brighton and Hove Albion and Harry Souttar's long-term injury looked set to benefit the centre-back's first-team opportunities at the bet365 Stadium, the arrivals of Taylor Harwood-Bellis (loan) and Phil Jagielka this month look set to limit his playing time.

With this, Darren Moore's Owls were thought to be early contenders for his signature with a potential cut-price deal in the offing.

However, they have been joined in the race by the Black Cats, who are also keeping tabs on Cardiff City's Aden Flint but are now ahead of Wednesday in the race for Stoke's Batth, seemingly focusing their interest on the latter.

The Verdict:

The centre-back would be a great signing for both sides, with the 31-year-old the type of player who has the experience and ability to finally lift the Wearside outfit back up to the Championship.

Tom Flanagan, Bailey Wright and Callum Doyle may be very capable players - but there's no harm in bringing in another player to provide stiff competition and become a leader in the League One side's dressing room.

But considering the Owls' woes at centre-back with injuries, they should be doing everything they possibly can to ensure they beat their league rivals to the former Wolves man's signature as they look to force their way into the promotion mix.

Batth's presence could be crucial in this quest - and winning his signature would be nothing short of a major statement of intent from the South Yorkshire outfit who managed to pull off several impressive transfer deals during the previous transfer window.

Whoever wins his signature will majorly boost their chances of a second-tier return.