Sunderland have been mentioned in relation to Demarai Gray’s future.
One-time Sunderland transfer target Demarai Gray is weighing up the prospect of a return to the Premier League this summer, according to reports.
The winger, who previously spent time on the books at Leicester City and Everton, currently plies his trade with Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ettifaq, but is said to be exploring the prospect of a move away from the Middle East over the coming months.
To that end, online outlet GiveMeSport openly reference prior links between Gray and the Stadium of Light - with the Jamaica international previously touted for a switch back in January.
What has been said about Demarai Gray’s future amid previous Sunderland links?
According to GiveMeSport, Gray harbours a desire to return to England after having initially signed for Etiffaq in 2023. Since arriving in the Pro League, he has registered 54 appearances, scoring four goals.
For their part, Etiffaq are said to be consistently impressed with Gray’s attitude and application, but also respect his eagerness to move back to the Premier League, and would not stand in his way if a suitable offer - believed to be somewhere in the region of £8 million - was tabled.
GiveMeSport also go on to mention Sunderland’s previous interest in Gray, but reiterate the fact that at the present moment in time, the Black Cats have not rekindled their pursuit of the winger.
Elsewhere, Gray's former club Birmingham City are understood to have made recent contact with Ettifaq, but it is unclear whether the wide man would be willing to return to St Andrew's, or indeed drop down to the Championship at all. It is also stated that Serie A side Fiorentina have made an approach to loan Gray.
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What has Kristjaan Speakman said about Sunderland’s summer transfer plans?
Addressing Sunderland’s transfer plans earlier this week, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said: "We're always trying to get the balance right between being prepared for whichever league you might be in and we've tried to do that," Speakman said.
"Naturally as a play-off winning team you're behind where other clubs might be, but we're fast-tracking that and catching up. We're looking to improve and build a team that is capable of staying in the Premier League, I think the objective is fairly clear.
“Everyone will point to the statistics as to how difficult it is to stay in the Premier League and we're fully aware of that, we're not naive. Our strategy in getting to the Premier League and the solutions we needed, to the ones we need to stay there, will be different. That's work we're doing at the minute but ultimately, we're going to stick to our values. We need to have a team that the community and city is proud of, we've build that in the current team and we have to have that in the Premier League.
"When we came to the club we had a multi-year strategy about how we'd able to get back to the Premier League, and it's about continuing that way of thinking. We're going to make decisions that are in the best interests of the club to try and retain our position in the Premier League, while also making decisions that don't negatively impact the club in the long term. I think we've seen before at Sunderland that if you don't consider those factors, how negative that can be in the long term. I don't think it's necessarily anything different in terms of our principles, but there are clearly key decisions coming up around making sure we have a squad capable of achieving our objective of staying up."
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