Sunderland accept £10m bid from Southampton for star striker Ross Stewart

The Black Cats forward is set to move to the south coast in a deadline day move

James Hunter Sunderland AFC Writer

09:39, 01 Sep 2023Updated 10:10, 01 Sep 2023

Sunderland have accepted a bid from Southampton for Ross Stewart

Ross Stewart is on the verge of a deadline day move to Championship rivals Southampton with Sunderland understood to have accepted a bid from the Saints. Sky Sports are reporting that the Black Cats have accepted a bid worth an initial £8m plus £2m in add-ons for the Scotland international striker.

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Sunderland had knocked back two earlier bids for the 27-year-old, but Southampton have finally come up with a deal that meets their asking price. And Stewart is said to be on his way to the South Coast to undergo a medical and tie up the deal.

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If the move goes through, it will end a long-running saga that has run since last summer with Sunderland and Stewart unable to agree terms on a new contract. Stewart's deal was due to run out at the end of last season but Sunderland triggered an option to extend by a further 12 months, but the danger from their point of view is that the player could leave for nothing next summer.

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With that in mind, they have decided to cash in on Stewart now. Losing Stewart is a major blow for Sunderland, with his 26 goals powering the club to promotion from League One the season before last.

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His first season in the Championship was wrecked by injury, yet he still managed to score ten goals in the second tier despite figuring in just 13 games. He suffered a ruptured Achilles in January and is still around a month away from full fitness.

Sunderland fans will expect the fee from the sale of Stewart to be reinvested in the team, and the club was already looking to bring in at least one striker on deadline day - they will now need at least two.