Sunderland have protected their position as Harrison Jones completes his Peterborough United move

Sunderland midfielder Harrison Jones has completed a move to Peterborough United, with The Echo understanding the Black Cats have protected their position by retaining a sell-on clause as part of the agreement.

Peterborough have announced the signing of the 21-year-old on a three-year deal, with the transfer officially going through on July 1, subject to the relevant paperwork.

The League One club described the deal as being for an undisclosed fee, although The Echo understands Jones’ move is effectively a free transfer, with Sunderland instead securing a sell-on clause that could benefit the club in future.

Sunderland triggered a one-year extension in Jones’ contract despite intending to allow the academy midfielder to move on this summer. That ensured the Black Cats retained control over the terms of his departure rather than losing him for nothing, with the club taking a similar approach to Zak Johnson and Timur Tutierov.

The decision forms part of a wider summer reshaping of Sunderland’s academy and under-21s pathway, with director of football Florent Ghisolfi now overseeing a period of change at the Academy of Light. Jones has been with Sunderland since the age of six and progressed all the way through the club’s academy system, making seven senior appearances in all competitions.

He was also named on the bench for a number of first-team fixtures during 2026, including Premier League games against Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, while remaining a regular for Sunderland’s under-21s in Premier League 2 last season.

Peterborough manager Luke Williams said: “Harrison is an ambitious and talented young player who has had a great start to his career at Sunderland, with first-team experience and being in and around the first team for a couple of years. He had a lot of different options for the next stage of his career, so we are delighted that he has chosen us, and we are looking forward to working with him.”

Jones admitted leaving Sunderland was a difficult decision given his long association with the club, but said he felt the time was right to move on and play regular senior football.

“It has all happened quite quickly, but when I heard of the interest, it was definitely something that excited me,” Jones said. “I have been at Sunderland since I was very young, so it was always going to be a difficult decision to leave, but I know that it was the right time to get out and play football.

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“I would describe myself as a versatile midfielder. I can play in a number of different roles. At Sunderland, you are encouraged to play in different positions. They taught me a lot about humility at Sunderland. I learned a lot from my time there. There are a lot of big clubs in League One, but we are a big club too, and I can’t wait to get started. It was really important to get things done before pre-season, and now I can look forward to coming in and meeting everyone.”

Jones’ exit follows several academy contract decisions at Sunderland, with the club attempting to balance pathway opportunities, squad planning and asset protection. While Jones was not expected to be part of the first-team picture next season, the sell-on agreement gives Sunderland a potential future benefit should he continue his development at Peterborough.

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