MK Dons are now plotting ‘ambitious’ loan-to-buy bid for Sunderland ace

Sunderland could be willing to offload one of their longest-serving players this summer.

The Black Cats are yet to sell any of their senior players, despite heavy interest in their prized assets.

After entering the final month of the window, a number of Sunderland players have been linked with loans away.

The club have begun to strengthen their ranks and have forced some further down the pecking order, with Jewison Bennette looking to push through a loan exit following the impressive preseason form of Romaine Mundle.

One player who could leave on loan or even permanently is Elliot Embleton, who is a target for Blackpool.

It was recently reported that both Blackpool and Derby County were interested in signing Embleton, who has spent most of the last two seasons on the sidelines.

While the Seasiders will be confident they can land the midfielder after his previous spell with the club, League Two outfit MK Dons are now preparing their own ‘ambitious’ offer for him.

Sunderland's Elliot Embleton crosses the ball during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sunderland and Millwall at the Stadium Of Light, Sunder...

Elliot Embleton could be heading to League Two

Writing on his Patreon, journalist Alan Nixon said: “Sunderland midfielder Elliot Embleton is wanted by Blackpool but ambitious MK Dons have entered the race.

“Embleton, 25, has a year left on his deal but missed a season with injury.

“The Black Cats would be happy to sell but the Seasiders want to see him playing regularly first.

“Dons could take the plunge instead and offer a loan with a view to a full-time move if Embleton plays enough games.”

MK Dons narrowly missed out on promotion to League One last season and will be aiming to go a step further this time round, but it still seems like very ambitious to expect Embleton to drop down to the fourth tier.

Sunderland should send Embleton back to League One

The 25-year-old probably isn’t at the level required of the Championship, but he has certainly proved himself in League One on numerous occasions.

Embleton helped Blackpool win promotion, before doing the same with Sunderland the following season – as well as scoring in the play-off final.

While he has been injured, Embleton deserves a move to the third tier where he can be a club’s main man, and a return to Blackpool seems like the perfect opportunity for him.

The Black Cats wouldn’t benefit from him leaving on loan though, especially as he would leave for free next summer anyway.

If the club can hold out for a permanent bid then that would be preferred, but his significant spell on the sidelines makes that unlikely.

The future of Jack Clarke remains unclear as he awaits offers from the Premier League.

The Sunderland winger was subject to huge interest last season, as he bagged 19 goal contributions in 40 matches.

However, Clarke is yet to receive any bids after the Black Cats placed a £25 million price tag on his head.

The likes of Southampton and Ipswich Town have been linked with the forward, but are believed to be put off by his valuation.

That hasn’t stopped Sunderland from looking at potential replacements for Clarke though, with Liam Millar one of a number of names on their radar.

The Canadian bagged five goals and five assists whilst on loan at Preston North End last season and has since earned plenty of interest from clubs looking to bring him back to the Championship.

Sunderland’s interest hasn’t progressed much further and they now face missing out on his signature to Hull City.

Nicolas Gonzalez of Argentina battles for the ball with Liam Millar of Canada during the CONMEBOL Copa America USA 2024 match between Canada and Ar...

Sunderland could miss out on Liam Millar

The Athletic reported last week that the Tigers had made a bid for Millar, but it had gone quiet since.

However, journalist Darren Witcoop has now wrote on X: “Hull remain in talks over a deal with FC Basel for winger Liam Millar and with Leicester for wideman Kasey McAteer. Hull face competition from a number of Championship clubs for the pair.”

Hull remain in talks over a deal with FC Basel for winger Liam Millar and with Leicester for wideman Kasey McAteer. Hull face competition from a number of Championship clubs for the pair. #hcafc

— Darren Witcoop (@DarrenOWitcoop) August 3, 2024

The Black Cats should sell Jack Clarke sooner rather than later

The Yorkshire outfit are likely to have a lot more money to play with at the moment, while Sunderland won’t want to bring in Clarke’s potential replacement until he actually leaves.

That puts the Black Cats in a very vulnerable position, because if he ends up moving to the top flight in the final days of the transfer window then that leaves Sunderland only days to bring in someone capable of filling his boots.

If the 23-year-old is almost definitely going to leave then it seems a much more sensible decision to try and offload him in the next couple of weeks, so there are still players like Millar available to sign, rather than panic buying at the last minute.

Millar could well have been a really good replacement for Clarke, but it looks very unlikely that he will still be available once Sunderland have confirmed the future of their star player.