After failing to achieve their goal of promotion during the previous campaign, Sunderland now face an uphill task to keep some of their best players at the Stadium of Light this summer.

With Luke O'Nien, Aiden McGeady and Charlie Wyke all set to be out-of-contract later this month, Black Cats manager Lee Johnson will be hoping to convince this particular trio to stay at the club.

Whilst O'Nien illustrated a great deal of versatility for Sunderland last season by operating in a number of different positions, McGeady provided an abundance of creativity as he was directly involved in 23 goals in all competitions.

Whereas both of these aforementioned players have already been offered deals by the Black Cats, talks with Wyke are currently ongoing.

Second only to Peterborough United forward Jonson Clarke-Harris in the League One goal-scoring charts, the forward managed to find the back of the net on 26 occasions in 43 appearances last season.

Considering just how impressive Wyke has been for Sunderland, it is hardly a surprise that he is attracting a great deal of interest from elsewhere.

One of the clubs who are looking into the possibility of signing the forward in the coming weeks is Ipswich Town.

A report by Football Insider last week revealed that the Tractor Boys were ready to offer Wyke a lucrative contract in an attempt to convince him to make the move to Portman Road.

Ahead of the upcoming window, a fresh update has now surfaced in regards to Ipswich's transfer stance.

According to the East Anglian Daily Times, the Tractor Boys manager Paul Cook reportedly prefers a move for Wyke over his team-mate Will Grigg who spent the second-half of the previous campaign on loan at Milton Keynes Dons.

GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...

When you consider that Grigg has failed to deliver the goods on a consistent basis since joining Sunderland in 2019, it is hardly a shock that Ipswich are not pursuing a deal for him.

With the Tractor Boys focused on bolstering their attacking options by signing Wyke, the Black Cats know that they are facing a battle to keep him at the Stadium of Light.

Having illustrated that he is more than capable of thriving in League One by averaging an impressive WhoScored match rating of 7.35, the forward may feel as if he is ready to make a step up in level which in turn will alert a host of Championship clubs.

However, if Wyke wants to continue to play in the third-tier, Sunderland ought to consider offering him a considerable pay-rise in order to fend off interest from Ipswich who could potentially emerge as rivals for promotion next season.

Read More - Everything you need to know about the summer transfer window!