SUNDERLAND are in danger of losing the services of promising midfielder Grant Leadbitter after he turned down a second contract offer from the club.
At just 20, Leadbitter is seen as one of the brightest young talents at the Stadium of Light after having emerged through the Academy ranks.
But Sunderland - who would be entitled to compensation for a player under 24 - could let Leadbitter slip through the net after failing to agree terms and both Blackburn and Manchester City are understood to be waiting in the wings.
"Sunderland have offered Grant a slightly-improved contract from the first one we rejected but it is still way short of being what he is worth," said the player's agent Ian Elliott.
"It is only marginally more than the one they gave him three years ago when he was a trainee. The basic problem we have is that the club's valuation is vastly different to mine, and we have to be mindful of the interest in him from other clubs.
"There is a lot of interest in Grant right now."
Regardless of the situation, Leadbitter remains a staunch Sunderland fan and would like to stay, even though they are destined for the Championship next season.
The ongoing takeover process, with Niall Quinn's consortium hopeful of making a bid before the end of the week, is not helping matters.
Despite Leadbitter understanding the current situation, he is desperate for something to be sorted quickly, with his contract due to expire at the end of the month.
"Grant is a Sunderland lad and he wants to stay at Sunderland. He doesn't want Sunderland fans to think that he is greedy, because that is not the case. But their offer is too low," said Elliott.
"It's a problem for Sunderland at the minute, trying to put deals together for players when the takeover is still going through. But the offers we have had are unacceptable and there's no getting away from that.
"Grant is on holiday at the minute and I have informed Sunderland that he won't accept the offer. The ball is in their court now, and they know where I am if they want to come back to me.
"We are talking to clubs at the minute, both in the Premiership and the Championship, but I can't say who they are at this time."
* Wolves centre-back Joleon Lescott edged a step closer to his move to Everton by passing a medical and agreeing personal terms.
The 23-year-old is set to move to Goodison Park in a deal worth around £5.5m when the last details of the transfer are finalised.
After signing England striker Andrew Johnson for £8.6million, Everton boss David Moyes will take his summer spending past the £14million mark.
Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey said: ''The fee was agreed last week but, as ever, these things are never straight-forward.
"The devil is in the detail and discussions with Everton are ongoing."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article