A major development has emerged on Sunderland target Carlos Mendes Gomes, regarding where he will be playing next season.

What's the talk?

The Black Cats have been dealt a blow as Luton Town have officially confirmed the signing of the 22-year-old winger from League One side Morecambe for an undisclosed transfer fee.

Earlier this summer, Football League World reported that northeast giants were one of a number of clubs looking at Gomes as a potential target. The Hatters were named in the report, alongside Cardiff, Huddersfield, Hull, Peterborough, Swansea and Barnsley from the second tier.

Fans will be gutted

Sunderland fans will surely be gutted by this news as the club have missed out on what could have potentially been an excellent signing this summer.

Sporting director Kristjaan Speakman has been dealt a blow with this news and will now need to pursue other targets in the wide areas, although it was always going to be a tough ask for the Black Cats chief given the host of the aforementioned Championship sides chasing his signature.

Sunderland do not have second-tier football to offer targets, with the prospect of a promotion push from League One their selling point as a team.

Gomes enjoyed a stellar campaign in League Two with Morecambe.

The winger was directly involved in 21 goals in 46 matches, scoring 16 and assisting five. He averaged an excellent WhoScored rating of 6.98 and provided 1.1 key passes per game for his teammates, showing off his creativity along with his consistent goalscoring.

Gomes also worked hard for the team defensively, averaging an impressive 2.3 tackles and 0.6 interceptions despite being an attacking player - showing that he is a well-rounded winger who can make an impact at both ends.

It's no wonder ex-Shrimps boss Derek Adams lauded him "a fantastic boy" to The Visitor. "You can tell that by his work ethic in training and in games," he added.

It is a major setback for Speakman and Sunderland because Gomes could have been the long-term successor to Aiden McGeady at the Stadium of Light.

McGeady will be 36 by the end of next season, whilst Gomes is will be 23, which suggests that the Irish winger could be coming towards the end of his playing career.

Gomes, who is currently 22, still has the majority of his career ahead of him and could have been his natural replacement out wide for Sunderland.

This is why fans will be disappointed that a deal could not be done for Gomes by Sunderland, as Lee Johnson has potentially missed out on his McGeady replacement.

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