Sunderland ‘not expecting’ Fletcher exit this month

Michael Graham
Steven Fletcher: Officially leaves Stadium of Light

Steven Fletcher: Officially leaves Stadium of Light

Steven Fletcher is not expected to follow Danny Graham out the door at Sunderland this month, although a move to Celtic remains a possibility.

Fletcher was pictured on social media at Glasgow airport over the weekend, prompting rumours on both sides of the border that he was set for a January switch to the Scottish Premiership with long-time admirers Celtic.

Sunderland allowed striker Danny Graham to leave for Blackburn on Wednesday, but it’s not expected that Fletcher will follow him out of the Stadium of Light exit doot just yet.

However, the former Wolves striker, who joined Sunderland in a £12million deal in 2012, was not understood to be in discussions with the SPL leaders over an imminent move.

The 28-year-old has found himself out in the cold in recent weeks as boss Sam Allardyce has looked to rebuild the Black Cats around Jermain Defoe, and Dame N’Doye joined the club last week to put further distance between Fletcher and the Sunderland side.

Fletcher is out of contract this summer and has been a target of Chinese club Shanghai Shenua, but a Bosman move to Celtic this summer appears to be more likely.