Striker Will Grigg says he expects to be a Sunderland player once again in pre-season, but has seemingly not ruled out a move away from the Stadium of Light this summer.

Grigg has been on loan at MK Dons since the January transfer window, and going into the final game of that deal at home to Rochdale on Sunday, the striker has scored eight goals in 19 appearances for the Dons.

That is as many as he has scored in 61 appearances for Sunderland since he joined the Black Cats in January 2019, and many at MK Dons would seemingly be keen to see him back at the club next season.

Now it appears as though that is not something that Grigg - who also spent the 2014/15 season on loan at the Stadium MK - is willing to dismiss at this stage either.

Speaking about his future beyond the end of this season, the 29-year-old told MKFM: "It's one of those things, I've got another year left at Sunderland and as far as I'm aware at the moment I'll be going back there in pre-season."

"Football's a funny game, you never know what's going to happen, there's obviously lots of factors to go in if anything's going to happen, but the support from the fans has been unbelievable from the first day I came back."

"That was part of the reason why I wanted to come back, because of my rapport with the fans and my relationship with the club from previous times, so it's great to be back and you never know what's going to happen in the future."

Grigg is about to enter the final year of his Sunderland contract, with the Black Cats having reportedly paid a sum of £4million to sign him from Wigan two-and-a-half years ago.

The Verdict

It would arguably make sense for Grigg to return to MK Dons this summer.

The striker has never really settled at all at Sunderland, and it does seem as though it would be hard for him to force his way back into the side at the Stadium of Light.

As a result, now could be a good time for Sunderland to try and move him on this summer, while they can still receive a fee for him.

Indeed, with Grigg having once again impressed at MK Dons, where he does appear to be happy, you could understand it if this was to be his preferred destination when the transfer market reopens, and it will be interesting to see if a fee can be agreed between the two clubs.