Sunderland AFC transfer rumours: Tottenham 'wonderkid' on trial at Black Cats, striker set for departure, Portsmouth take two on trial, Wigan Athletic to suffer £300k transfer blow

The fixture could be season-defining for both teams with Pompey boss Kenny Jackett facing huge pressure from supporters following a 4-1 thrashing against Northampton Town on Saturday.

Sunderland, however, are unbeaten in seven in all competitions and face a Papa John’s Trophy final against Tranmere Rovers at Wembley on Sunday.

Indeed, Lee Johnson’s Back Cats are edging closer to the automatic promotion sports and could sit just two points off second-place Peterborough United if results go their way this evening.

As usual, though, there are plenty of Sunderland-related transfer headlines swirling around the web this morning – with some interesting talk from the Black Cats’ third-tier rivals too.

Here, we take a look at the latest from around League One:

Portsmouth cast eye over trialists

Portsmouth will cast their eye over ‘one or two triallists’ in today's reserve game against Luton Town under-23s.

The Portsmouth News reports that manager Jackett admitted Pompey will be running the rule over some triallists with a look towards the future.

He said: “There will be a mixture against Luton at Gosport, one or two triallists as well, and we'll be staging one or two of those games between now and the end of the season.”

Celtic close in on Wigan Athletic man

Celtic are said to be closing in on a deal for striker Kyle Joseph.

Football Insider are reporting the FIFA enforced compensation fee for the 19-year-old will be around £300k if the bhoys manage to pull off the deal.

Joseph has already been offered a deal by the Hoops but there are other clubs interested in his services for next season.

Sunderland striker set for exit

Sunderland Under-23s striker Mitchell Curry is set to join MLS side Inter Miami CF, according to reports.

The 21-year-old will be out of contract at the end of the season and hasn’t played for the Black Cats since December.

Inter Miami, who are owned by David Beckham, will start their 2021 campaign in the middle of April as they prepare for a second season in the MLS.

According to Roker Rapport, Curry is set to join Phil Neville’s side and the move will be announced when the player is granted a Visa to play in the United States.

Curry joined the Black Cats from Middlesbrough at the start of this season and scored seven goals in 10 appearances for the under-23s side.

The striker also made his senior debut in League One when he came off the bench during December’s 1-1 draw with AFC Wimbledon at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland take Tottenham youngster on trial

Sunderland have taken Tottenham youngster Aaron Skinner on trial.

The player – who signed a professional contract with Spurs last year – was described as a ‘wonderkid’ and ‘one of the club's brightest talents’ by Football London.

Previously in Bury's academy after representing the club, the defender played a key role in the Lancashire side reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup in the 2018-19 season.