Sunderland: Black Cats teenager wanted by huge Premier League club

Sunderland could be set to lose one of their up-and-coming talents, with a reliable journalist revealing that he will be targeted by a huge club in January.

What’s the latest transfer news at Sunderland?

On Friday, Tony Mowbray was handed a huge boost after goalkeeper Anthony Patterson signed a new long-term contract that will keep him at the club until at least 2028, but whilst some players are committing themselves to the cause on Wearside, multiple youngsters have been linked with an exit, one of whom has already departed.

At the Academy of Light, Zak Johnson recently joined National League side Hartlepool United on a one-month loan deal, whilst Tom Watson is again being pursued by the Premier League’s Nottingham Forest, who failed to prise their target away from the Championship over the summer.

Now, another exciting talent who could be heading for the exit door is shot-stopper Matty Young, who has worked his way up through the various ranks to become a popular name among the youth teams in the northeast having been at the club for the whole of his career.

Despite never making a senior appearance on a competitive basis, the 16-year-old was handed his first-team debut during the 3-2 victory over New Mexico United in pre-season so he is clearly impressing the boss, but with more exposure comes more outside interest, which is exactly what he’s attracted.

Is Matty Young leaving Sunderland?

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Premier League side Manchester City have “set their sights” on signing Young. Sunderland’s teenager has already established himself as Tony Mowbray’s third-choice goalkeeper despite his age and is a regular feature for the club’s U21s, with his performances there having caught the eye of the hierarchy at the Etihad Stadium.

Before any other potential suitors are able to join the race, Pep Guardiola’s side want to “snap him up”, and there’s a chance that he could be permanently sold with him being represented by one of the industry’s leading agencies.

How many clean sheets has Matty Young kept?

Since the start of his career, Young has kept eight clean sheets from 17 outings so it’s clear to see why he is a player of interest to Man City, but for the same reason, it’s vital that Sunderland do everything they can to retain his services because he is a real star in the making.

Standing at 6 foot 3, the colossus even earned the praise of Mowbray following his outing in pre-season, who said: “We are a bit frustrated that we lost two goals in the last four minutes because it would have been fantastic for Matty, who had a brilliant game and in the first half was amazing, to get a clean sheet on his first start.”

Should the Blues come in and table a respectable offer for Young, it’s understandable that the Black Cats could want to cash in, but if he carries on the way he’s going, he may be worth a lot more in a few seasons if he continues to force his way into the fold, so chiefs should hold out on sanctioning his sale.