Sunderland boss reveals when he hopes Josh Maja will sign new contract

Jack Ross is hoping to have a resolution to Josh Maja's contract situation before January.
Josh Maja.Josh Maja.
Josh Maja.

The 19-year-old forward is top scorer this season with seven goals and his form has inevitably raised his profile.

Maja is in the final year of his current contract and Sunderland have made it clear they want to tie him down to a new deal, with talks to take place over the coming weeks.

Josh Maja.Josh Maja.
Josh Maja.

Ross hopes a deal can be agreed before January.

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Read: Follow our live Sunderland AFC transfer blog hereMaja's contract expires at the end of the current season and he would be free to speak to other clubs in January if an agreement is not reached before then, with Ross keen to avoid any uncertainty over the young striker's future.

"It would help everybody if we could get a resolution before January,” said Ross.

"For the club and for him, it would help. You want the removal of any uncertainty, and if we can do that as a club it would help us and help Josh as well.

“It’s like everything nowadays, these conversations don’t often take place directly between a manager and a player, but the desire for us to keep him at the club is absolutely concrete.

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"That's not just because of how he has started the season, it was there from the moment I started working him.

More: Follow our live Sunderland AFC transfer blog here"Naturally his start to the season has just heightened the attention around him, so we want to make sure he stays here at Sunderland and that he plays a part in the clubs' ambitions.

"He'll have decisions to make when that comes around, but one thing I think about him is he is happy and enjoying his football.

"Hopefully, as a young man, he is not too much of a rush to get somewhere he may get to eventually if he keeps doing what he's doing."