As per The Courier, Sunderland are the latest club to register an interest in St. Johnstone midfielder Ali McCann.

The Lowdown: SAFC need midfielders

Sunderland are preparing for the new campaign as they once again target promotion to the Championship.

However, they are in need of new midfielders given Josh Scowen, Grant Leadbitter and Max Power all left the Stadium of Light following the end of the previous term (The Northern Echo).

The Latest: Black Cats eye McCann

Now, it seems Lee Johnson has a midfield target in mind in St. Johnstone man McCann.

They are not the only side interested in his services, though, with Celtic, Hull and Stoke all said to be in pursuit of the 21-year-old. He is said to be valued by his club at £2m.

The Verdict: Top target

Despite only being 21, McCann already has plenty of experience under his belt. He has made 84 appearances for his current outfit, and also appeared 13 times on loan for Stranraer (Transfermarkt). He has also enjoyed a certain amount of success, helping St. Johnstone win both the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup last season.

His former midfield partner Jason Holt said McCann was "undroppable" last year (via The Glasgow Times), and he has arguably only improved since then. St. Johnstone will always struggle to hold on to their top performers - if Sunderland can manage to win the battle for McCann, they would be getting their hands on a top talent for the future.

In other news, Sunderland fans rage at this official club tweet.