Sunderland are already preparing for life the Sky Bet Championship and want to add Barnsley’s Marc Roberts to their squad should they be relegated according to a report from The Sun.
The Black Cats are currently rock bottom in the Premier League and while there is still enough time for them to escape the relegation zone, it is looking more unlikely that they will be playing in the top tier of English football next season.
Because of that, Sunderland are already looking at players they want to add to the squad should they end up in the Championship and Roberts is one of the players they have been taking a closer look at in recent weeks. The 26-year-old defender has attracted a lot of interest over the last few months, with reports suggesting that West Bromwich Albion were interested during the January transfer window, but Sunderland will be hoping they can be the team that lures him away from Oakwell.
Roberts will cost Sunderland a pretty penny though as the South Yorkshire side value him at £5m, though Sunderland expect they will be able to pay it. Their coffers will boosted by the cash they will get as parachute money following their relegation and the North East club also expect to lose Lamine Kone in the summer, which will also give them some money to play with. But even if Roberts would be a great addition to their side, the fans must be miserable knowing that their team seem resigned to the fact they are heading back to the Championship.
