Sunderland are set to sign Hartlepool youngster Josh Hawkes after winning the race for his signature ahead of Premier League sides.

The 21-year-old midfielder has established himself as one of the most exciting players outside the Football League following his performances for the north-east side in recent years.

Hawkes particularly attracted attention after an impressive 18/19 season where he contributed with nine goals in 29 games from midfield and he featured in 18 games as Hartlepool missed out on the play-offs before the previous campaign was cut short.

And, it seems he is now ready to move on, with TEAMtalk revealing that the player is set to move to the Stadium of Light early next week.

They claim that Sunderland's bitter rivals Newcastle, as well as newly-promoted top-flight side Leeds had been tracking Hawkes, whilst he also had offers from abroad.

However, he is poised to join Sunderland and whilst he may have to be patient initially, he will hope to force his way into Phil Parkinson's plans in the coming months as the Black Cats look to win promotion to the Championship.

The verdict

This is an exciting move for all parties. Firstly, Sunderland are getting in a young, hungry player who clearly has talent and who will be desperate to prove himself at a high level.

As for Hawkes, he is joining a huge club and realistically his career will benefit more from trying to get regular minutes in League One instead of turning out for an U23 side at a Premier League club.

This seems very advanced, with an announcement likely next week and it will be interesting to see how Hawkes does at Sunderland.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.