Sunderland could now miss out on one of their ‘terrific’ targets to their Championship rivals.
Sunderland are eager to bring some creativity to their senior squad this summer, after struggling to create chances last season.
The Black Cats had one of the lowest goal tallies outside of the relegation zone and relied heavily on Jack Clarke to bring them the goals.
However, the winger now looks likely to leave Wearside this summer and they have no replacements lined up.
While they will need to bring in some wide players, they are also looking to add some talent to their midfield.
Alex Pritchard and Amad Diallo are yet to be replaced after leaving Sunderland, with Jobe Bellingham often occupying the no.9 role.
The Sun have linked the Championship outfit with a move for Burnley midfielder Scott Twine, who netted six goals and provided three assists whilst out on loan last term.
Twine has struggled with injuries and a lack of game-time since leaving MK Dons in 2022, where he bagged a whopping 33 goal contributions in League One.
Sunderland look set to miss out on Scott Twine
The‘terrific’ 24-year-old is expected to leave Turf Moor, while the likes of Bristol City, Sunderland and Birmingham were interested in snapping him up.
However, Bristol Live have now reported that the Robins are ‘confident’ they can land him this summer.
Twine spent the second half of last season on loan at Ashton Gate, though missed out on a large chunk of his spell due to injury.
Despite that, Bristol City are eager to sign him again and are looking to conclude a deal for the midfielder soon.
The report claims that Twine has been using their High-Performance Centre during his off-season training, having grown up only 45-minutes away.
Twine was initially valued at £5 million in January, but Burnley’s relegation is likely to push his price tag down.
It’s unclear whether Sunderland will try to battle City for his signature, though they would probably struggle to wrap up such a deal without a manager anyway.
Managerless Black Cats will struggle to win this race
Twine will want guarantees of regular minutes and also doesn’t want to be facing a relegation battle – likely wary of the club’s dramatic downfall last season.
The attacking midfielder has had some bad luck since joining Burnley, but there is clearly a very talented player in there.
Twine was only 21 years old when he was smashing it in League One, and if he had gone to any other team without such squad depth then he could have made an immediate mark on the Championship.
If he can get a good run in a team without any injuries, then he could well rediscover his form.
Unless he is still at Burnley towards the end of the window, then the Black Cats can probably write off signing him when they don’t even have a manager.
They may struggle to compete with the Robins if he is eager to return south too.