An update has emerged on striker Joe Pigott, regarding Sunderland's interest in the 27-year-old.

What's the talk?

According to Portsmouth outlet The News, Sunderland are preparing to offer big wages to Wimbledon striker Joe Pigott in an attempt to land the attacker on a free transfer this summer. Portsmouth are keen on a deal for the centre-forward, but Sunderland are said to be ahead of them in the race, as it stands.

The report claims that Championship sides Luton and Bristol City are also interested in Pigott. This could provide an obstacle for Sunderland and Portsmouth, with Pigott said to favour a transfer to the Championship over staying in League One.

Former Wimbledon manager Wally Downes hailed Pigott as being “magnificent” for the club and praised the way he lead the line from the front. He told Echo News:

“Joe has been magnificent in the last six or seven weeks and he got his rewards for battling.

“He’s led the line really well lately and got another win."

Get it done

Kristjaan Speakman must seal a deal for Pigott to solve a major problem Sunderland are facing ahead of the 2021/22 campaign. Charlie Wyke was the club's top goalscorer in the season just gone, with 26 goals, and is out of contract at the end of the month, which means that Sunderland are on the verge of losing their main source of goals. Therefore, there will be a huge hole for Speakman and Lee Johnson to fill and they could do just that by signing Pigott in the coming weeks.

Pigott caught the eye with his goalscoring prowess in League One last season for Wimbledon. He found the back of the net 20 times and set up five for his teammates, despite Wimbledon struggling at the bottom end of the table as they finished 19th in League One. This shows that he is able to score goals consistently at this level and could be an ideal replacement for Wyke at the Stadium of Light.

The £2.1k-per-week goal machine also scored 22 league goals in the previous two League One campaigns for Wimbledon. Therefore, Pigott could be an exceptional addition to Sunderland's squad and solve their goalscoring problem ahead of Wyke's likely exit.

Speakman needs to make sure that he can beat the likes of Luton, Bristol City and Portsmouth in the race to land Pigott. He needs to offer Pigott a contract that is attractive enough to convince him to put his Championship dreams on hold for a season.

Hopefully, the Sunderland sporting director can lure Pigott in with the prospect of playing a part in a promotion to the second tier from League One, with him leading the line for the Black Cats in a bid for glory.

AND in other news, Speakman handed major SAFC boost with “excellent” £4k-p/w beast, fans will be buzzing...