Sunderland have been dealt a possible transfer blow in their pursuit of Troy Parrott as the striker confirmed that he wants to fight for his place at Tottenham this summer.

The Lowdown: Sunderland make official enquiry

The 20-year-old has completed multiple loan spells over the years in a bid to rack up some much-needed first-team experience and game time having not been involved in the action for the Lilywhites. And his impressive form at MK Dons last season seems to have caught the eye of a few potential suitors, including the Black Cats.

It has recently been reported that the Stadium of Light hierarchy have made an official enquiry about the forward’s availability, with Alex Neil very keen to secure the youngster’s signature, but any chances of the boss bringing his target to the Championship now look very slim.

The Latest: Parrott reveals his intentions

As quoted by The Northern Echo, Parrott has revealed during an interview that he wants to impress Antonio Conte in pre-season and show Tottenham what he’s capable of. He said:

“I can’t control what goes on there (with Spurs). That’s out of my hands. All I can do is try to impress whoever is there, and that’s what I fully intend doing when I go back there for pre-season.

“After two disappointing loans (at Millwall and Ipswich), it’s fair to say that things are looking up for me and I am on a bit of an upward trajectory. I just need to keep that going, keep improving, and keep giving it my all.

“Going on loan is for playing men’s football and realising what you have to do throughout a game, and I think I have matured a lot over the three loans that I’ve had. I’m just happy that it’s starting to click.”

The Verdict: A hammer blow?

Having just gained promotion back to the second tier after a four-year absence, Neil will be hoping to make some new additions to his squad in the coming weeks as the club prepares to make the step up, but it certainly sounds like Parrott wants to halt his spree of temporary moves.

The Irishman was scintillating in the final third at Stadium MK throughout 2021/22, netting ten goals and providing seven assists across all competitions, via Transfermarkt, with this kind of form being precisely the profile of player that the Black Cats would want in their starting XI.

Sunderland will report back for pre-season duty as they get ready to begin an exciting new era, but whether they will be successful in their mission to find a new striker in time for the beginning of August yet remains to be seen.