Speaking to the Chronicle, Sunderland manager Phil Parkinson has admitted that he is interested in signing former Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty.
Lafferty had his Rangers contract mutually terminated in July 2019 and most recently played for Sarpsborg, helping them to avoid relegation on the final day of the Norwegian Eliteserien season.
Now unattached, he has been linked with a return to former club, Hearts [Daily Record], but it seems they aren’t the only British club plotting a swoop.
“Kyle is one of a number of players we have been speaking about as staff,” Parkinson told the Chronicle. “He is a free agent and he is on our list.”
The Black Cats boss then praised Lafferty’s Northern Ireland teammate, Liam Boyce, who they have also been credited with an interest in [Scottish Sun], before reiterating his desire to add at least one more striker.
“We are closing in on a number of targets. We’ve got quite a list of players if we don’t get the first one we want, we’ve got other options we’re working towards.”
“But as ever, we’re competing with other clubs. If there’s a front player we feel can improve us, we will try to bring one in.”
Verdict
At 32, Lafferty is no spring chicken and he’s struggled for goals in the recent past. He netted just once in nine appearances at Sarpsborg and scored only six times in 30 appearances for the Gers last season.
However, he’s proven in previous years that given enough playing time in the right environment, he can come good.
He performed well during his stint at Tynecastle between 2017 and 2018 and clearly, Parkinson believes the targetman would be a useful addition as Sunderland look to push for promotion over the second half of the season.
They are currently sitting in ninth spot in EFL League One, but are only six points behind second-placed Rotherham United.
