In what is a period of attacking inefficiency for the North East outfit, speculation is making the rounds that Sunderland may make a bid to bring former fan favourite, Kenwyne Jones, back to the Stadium of Light.
The Trinidadian was on the books at Sunderland between 2007 and 2010 after he completed a £6m switch from Southampton.
After spending three seasons as a Black Cat, Jones opted for a move to Stoke City, in a deal that saw Sunderland net £8m, making a £2m profit on the striker.
However, the 27 year-old has fallen down the pecking order at the Brittania Stadium and could be open to a move back to Sunderland where he made over 100 appearances, scoring 28 goals in the process.
Joes is currently competing with Jonathan Walters, Peter Crouch and Cameron Jerome for a starting berth under Tony Pulis and may fancy his luck as a Black Cat once more, having only to compete with the likes of Nicklas Bendtner, Ji Dong-Won and Connor Wickham instead.
Up against the trio, Jones would present the most senior English top flight forward and favour his chances of starting under Martin O’Neill more as a result.
Tony Pulis may want to keep a hold of the international attacker as he looks to maintain a European and domestic tournaments, but may be forced to let him go if Sunderland offer back somewhere close to the £6m they received for his services in 2010.