Kevin Phillips has said that he is worried about Sunderland losing Charlie Wyke after it was revealed that CSKA Moscow have been scouting the striker.

Phillips makes Wyke claim

According to the Daily Mail, Russian giants CSKA recently scouted £270,000-valued Wyke (Transfermarkt), along with Peterborough striker Jonson Clarke-Harris.

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips - affectionately known as 'Super Kev' to many on Wearside - revealed that he is worried about Wyke being poached away from the Stadium of Light. He said:

"It’s a double-edged sword.

"The more he scores the more people will want him at the end of the day.

"If Sunderland don’t go up, there will be teams sniffing around – 100 per cent. I imagine he will score at least 30 this season and when you are posting numbers like that , naturally, someone is going to be sniffing around.

"Could he help a team get out of the Championship? He is a player on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

"If a club is looking for a striker of his mould, there is not many better in the Championship or League One."

Could happen

Wyke has been in terrific from from a goalscoring point of view for the Black Cats this season. In 47 games in all competitions, he has 27 goals to his name (Transfermarkt), while only Clarke-Harris has scored more in League One than the 28-year-old this term (BBC).

After Wyke, Sunderland's next highest scorer in 2020/21 is Chris Maguire, whose seven-goal haul is just over 25% of what the CSKA Moscow transfer target has racked up.

However, some Sunderland fans have still expressed disappointment with his displays - they may not be too unhappy if he were to depart. Given they are playing in the third tier of English football, and that there are a number of clubs above them who would be eager to sign a player who has proven he can find the net on a regular basis, it promises to be an interesting summer regarding Wyke's future.

In other news, many Sunderland fans slam this man's comments.