Sunderland have made a bright start to the 2023/24 season - yet the club will soon have to make some big decisions on some of their first-team and academy players.
The Black Cats have managed to secure long-term contracts for several of their key players in recent months, yet some members of the senior squad have entered the final year of their current deals.
There may also be interest from other clubs during the January transfer window.
Here are the senior Sunderland players and some of the club’s most highly-rated academy players who will be out of contract this summer:
1. Callum Styles
Sunderland signed Styles, 24, on an initial loan deal in January, meaning he's set to leave at the end of the season as things stand. There is an option for the Black Cats to make the deal permanent at the end of this season, while he had been on their radar since last summer. Photo: Frank Reid
2. Corry Evans
Evans has just returned from an ACL injury, which kept him sidelined for over a year. The Sunderland captain's contract is set to expire this summer, with a club-option of a further year. The 33-year-old will be hoping to prove his fitness in the coming weeks and that his deal will be extended. Evans did play two matches for Sunderland's under-21s side during the international break. Photo: Frank Reid
3. Mason Burstow
Sunderland signed Burstow on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea in the summer, after trying to agree a permanent deal. The 20-year-old striker has struggled since his move to Wearside, though, scoring just once in 20 Championship appearances. Photo: Frank Reid
4. Ellis Taylor
Following a frustrating loan spell at Hartlepool in the first half of the 2022/23 season, the winger hasn't been able to break into Sunderland's first team. The 20-year-old has been sidelined with an injury in recent weeks, with his contract set to expire this summer. Photo: Frank Reid