League One promotion hopefuls Sunderland are hoping to beat Preston to the signing of released Man United striker, James Wilson.

According to a report from the Daily Record, Wilson is being eyed by the Black Cats along with Aberdeen and Championship side Preston, with the striker finally set for a permanent move away from Old Trafford after failing to break back into the squad.

Wilson burst onto the scene as a teenager for United but has seen his progress as a Red Devil stumble somewhat in recent seasons, with loan spells at Derby and Sheffield United among a couple of spells away from his parent club which have yielded varying amounts of success.

However, this summer will see Wilson have the freedom to find a new permanent home, and Sunderland are keen on adding the 23-year-old to their ranks following their loss at Wembley in the play-off final last season.

Indeed, Wilson did actually spend last season on loan with Aberdeen, but once again goals proved hard to come by for the speedster, who notched only four times despite becoming a regular for the Dons.

Wilson was a promotion winner with Brighton and Hove Albion just a few seasons ago and he will be desperate to get back to showing what he can do in the English game after seeing his stock fall somewhat in recent times.

The Verdict

I'm not so sure on this one for Sunderland in all honestly, with Wilson failing to really achieve anything of note in the last few years.

He has plenty of pace and obviously has some talent in the bag, otherwise Man United wouldn't have offered him a long-term deal five or so years back.

However, the time has come for Wilson to prove his worth, and with Sunderland needing more or less instant success next year, signing Wilson might well be another risk they can't afford to take.