Eddie Howe plans talks with Sunderland star Lewis Grabban ahead of potential January sale

Grabban has scored 11 goals in the league for Sunderland this season, attracting interest from elsewhere in the division.

Bournemouth have a recall clause as part of the deal and could activate it next month to capitalise on that interest.

Sunderland's financial difficulties mean they have little chance of securing a permanent deal.

Howe admits that the 29-year-old is in all likelihood surplus to requirements at the Vitality Stadium.

He told Sky Sports: "With Lewis we'll make the right decision for him and for us.

"It is something we will sit down and talk about. We've got some excellent strikers here, I've got some real options in that position. Especially when you consider the quality we've got in Lys Mousset who is out of the squad at the moment. That's something for a later date where we'll have a chat with Grabbs."

Howe described Grabban as an 'outstanding' striker and said his form this season came as no surprise.

He said: "I'm not surprised, he's an outstanding player. When we signed him in the Premier League we paid a substantial fee for him, I'd worked with him before and really enjoyed that process and the journey we had. It was incredible really and he did very well for me in both spells. I've got a lot of time for both he player and the person."