League One club reveal latest on striker chase amid Will Grigg links

Grigg had a successful loan spell back at his former club in the second half of last season, and manager Russell Martin has made clear that he would like to make the arrangement permanent.

Grigg returned to Sunderland for pre-season ahead of the final year of his contract, and started the 2-2 draw with Spennymoor Town.

MK Dons last week sealed a loan move for Cardiff City striker Max Watters, but Sporting Director Liam Sweeting says more attacking reinforcements are in the pipeline.

Dons have lost both Cameron Jerome and Joe Mason from last season's squad.

"There’s still a long way to go until the deadline at the end of August and we’re not finished yet but if the season started tomorrow, we feel as though Russ would be able to put out a starting XI that everyone would see as pretty good," Sweeting said.

“If you’d have said, before we’d even played a game in pre-season, that we’d have a striker, we have our goalkeepers sorted, our defenders are all here from last year and that we’ve got some really exciting options in midfield – I think we’d have all taken this position.

“Obviously, though, we still need to add a few – in the wide areas and the top of the pitch – and we will also be reactive, if needed, because who knows what could happen – the window is open right until the end of August so we could still have offers on our players and, if we do, we will have to react to that.

“Fortunately, one of the benefits of the way we are structured now, is that we can do things really quickly," he added.

"We have an owner who is here, on the phone every day and who takes a real interest in what we are doing and that means, when we all get in a room and decide we want to do something, we can go and get it done really quickly."

Wigan Athletic had been interested in securing a potental return for Grigg, but now look to have completed have their summer search for striking reinforcements.

After securing Will Keane to a new contract, the Latics sealed swoops for former Sunderland striker Charlie Wyke and Rochdale forward Stephen Humphrys.

Speaking after the draw at Spennymoor, Johnson admitted that he wasn't sure whether the 30-year would stay at the club.

He added that he rated Grigg as a player and so suggested that he would be happy to have him as one of his striking options for the new campaign.

"Whether Will stays remains to be seen, but he's here at the moment and we think he's a good player," Johnson said.

"We like him as a player.

"Obviously, that isn't always the key thing in term of whether a player wants to stay or not."

Grigg and Sunderland are next in action when they travel to Tynecastle to face Hearts on Saturday.

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