An update has emerged on Sunderland and their attempts to secure Ross Stewart's future at the Stadium of Light...

What's the talk?

Black Cats chairman and owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has confirmed that the club are in talks with the forward over an extension to his current deal.

When asked about the striker's contract situation at a fan Q&A, he said: “We are having ongoing conversations and we're all hopeful that it will lead to a successful outcome.

“Football is unpredictable, you don't know what will happen between him coming back and January, which clubs might be interested in him etc. “All we can do is A) do our very best to retain Ross and B) plan for all eventualities so that we're not in a situation where we are panicking and don't know what we're doing. Plan A is to keep Ross and secure a longer contract, but we will be prepared for all possibilities.”

Tony Mowbray should be excited

The Black Cats manager, and indeed the whole of Sunderland, must be incredibly excited with this news as it shows the club are actively trying to pin Stewart down to a new contract to ensure his long-term future on Wearside.

Transfermarkt states that his deal is due to expire in the summer of 2023 but Sunderland have the option to extend it for a further 12 months, which means that he could remain at the Stadium of Light through to 2024.

This does, however, mean that he will only have 12 months - assuming they exercise their option - left on his contract at the end of this season and the club would have a decision to make on cashing in on the striker if he has not signed an extension by that point.

Therefore, Mowbray will be excited about the talks between the club and the player as keeping Stewart in the long-term would be a huge boost to his side.

The 6 foot 2 Scotland international has proven himself to be a phenomenal goalscorer for the Black Cats in both League One and the Championship since joining from Ross County at the start of 2021.

Stewart, who teammate Alex Pritchard dubbed a "revelation" last season, scored 26 times in 49 matches in the third tier last term - including two goals in three play-off matches. He has followed that up by plundering five goals and assisting three in seven appearances in the second division.

The marksman also has plenty of time left ahead of him to improve and potentially step up to a higher level which means that he could be a key player for Sunderland in the future as well as in the here and now, with his ability to score goals consistently.

Therefore, Mowbray should be delighted by the thought of the attacker putting pen to paper on a new deal and will now be hoping that the talks are successful in the coming weeks and months.