Sunderland 'close' to signing £200k-rated Liverpool starlet - but what do we know about him?

The club have announced contract extensions for Aiden McGeady and Luke O’Nien as well as several signings for their youth team.

Those deals were strengthened by the arrival of Alex Pritchard, Callum Doyle and Corry Evans.

And Lee Johnson has spoken of his hopes that the club can bring in two new players before the season opener.

"We’re working really hard behind the scenes and a lot of that is to put yourself in a position where you’ve got the options,” he said.

“You have a list, sometimes five, ten, and you’ve got to make sure it’s a quality list and that it fits with what you’re trying to do.”

But what do we know about Sunderland’s latest transfer target Gallacher? Here, we take a look:

Tony Gallacher – fact file

Position: Left-back

Age: 22-years-old

Club: Liverpool

Born: Glasgow

Nationality: Scottish

So what is the story with Tony Gallacher and Sunderland?

Sunderland have made an approach for Liverpool full-back Gallacher.

A deal to bring the 22-year-old defender to the Stadium of Light on loan should happen tomorrow, according to Alan Nixon of The Sun.

The Wearside club were said to be interested in a permanent deal for Gallacher but that prospect seems to be dead for the moment with a temporary move the preference.

The Black Cats are short in the left-back area after releasing Callum McFadzean at the end of the season.

Indeed, Lee Johnson is still waiting on Denver Hume’s contract decision as the defender weighs up fresh terms on Wearside.

What experience does Tony Gallacher have?

Gallacher joined Scottish outfit Falkirk as a graduate from the Forth Valley Football Academy in the summer of 2015, having played for the club's youth teams since the age of 10.

Impressively, Gallacher made his debut for the club as a sixteen-year-old in a Scottish Cup tie at home to Fraserburgh.

He then went on to win a first league start in a Scottish Championship match against Dumbarton in 2016.

in 2018, Liverpool signed Gallacher after a successful trial for a fee of £200,000.

Indeed, Gallacher made his competitive debut for the Reds a year later, starting in a 5-0 League Cup defeat at Aston Villa.

Gallacher enjoyed a loan stint at Canadian club Toronto FC in Major League Soccer, making nine appearances during his time at the club.

Why are Liverpool keen for Tony Gallacher to depart?

According to reports in Liverpool, Gallacher is one a number of academy players likely to leave Anfield ahead of the start of the new campaign.

That’s because the Reds reportedly want to free up wages and find clubs for players who are unlikely to break through on Merseyside.

Indeed, first-team stars Xherdan Shaqiri, Nat Phillips, and Divock Origi are likely to leave this summer alongside the already departed Gini Wijnaldum.

The Liverpool Echo state that Gallacher would be best suited to making a permanent move away in order to play senior football on a regular basis.

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