Sunderland are in talks to sign Northern Irish striker Kyle Lafferty, it has been revealed.
The versatile forward is currently a free agent but he has met with members of the Black Cats’ recruitment team on Tuesday to discuss a move to the Stadium of Light, according to The Scotsman.
The nomadic forward’s most recent stint was with Sarpsborg 08 in Norway and was with Scottish giants Rangers prior to this.
The 32-year-old has admitted his ‘first-option’ would be to return to Hearts where he scored 20 goals in 48 appearances between 2017 and 2019.
Phil Parkinson is actively looking to bring in attacking players with Antoine Semenyo and Liam Boyce also on his radar but Lafferty being immediately available is an appealing factor for the former Bolton boss.
Lafferty has enjoyed an up and down career, playing in six different countries including Turkey, Switzerland and Italy. He enjoyed prolific spells with Hearts, Rangers and Palermo scoring double-figures in a single season for each.
During his career, he has netted a total of 104 goals in 441 senior appearances and, given the lack of a transfer, can be considered a relatively risk-free signing for the Black Cats.
Sunderland are currently on a five-game unbeaten run which has seen them pull within one point of the play-off places and six behind second-place Rotherham.