Sunderland Sporting Director gives an update on Ross Stewart contract talks

Stewart has 18 months left on his deal and talks on fresh terms have reached an impasse, raising transfer interest from elsewhere.

The 26-year-old has made a stunning comeback from a thigh injury, scoring in every one of his four appearances since. As it stands he is the club’s only natural striker, and his future is a source of significant concern to supporters.

Head coach Tony Mowbray said on Thursday that he was confident the Scot would stay past the conclusion of the transfer window, and Speakman has told safc.com that he has no doubt the striker is ‘100% committed to the club’.

Talks appear not to have progressed significantly but Speakman says the club are ‘really comfortable’ with their position.

"Firstly it’s important to say that we’re really dedicated and being pro-active to try and get Ross to sign a new contract, everyone is geared up to make that happen and feel that’s the right outcome,” Speakman said.

"If you look on the pitch, his performances and his desire to get back from injury show that he’s 100% committed to Sunderland. At the present time that’s where negotiations sit and I don’t think that’s anything that should worry supporters.

"I’d like to think that our track record since we’ve been at the club is something that the fans can trust, at the present time we’ve got talented players contracted for a substantial period of time that fully protects the club. There’s one or two players that are coming towards the end of their natural contract this summer and they’ve got certain clauses in there that mean they roll over into the next year.

"From our perspective we feel really comfortable with our position but we also want to try and make sure that when we have high profile players like Ross, we tie them down for the appropriate amount of time.”

Stewart has a remarkable record of nine goals from his first 11 Championship appearances, and he has also contributed two assists.