Marcus Maddison has not ruled out a move to Sunderland in the future.
The Peterborough star has made no secret of the fact he is a boyhood Sunderland supporter, and many fans were hopeful the Black Cats would sign him in the summer.
But with just 12 months remaining on his current deal and Posh not budging on the £2.5million release clause in his contract, Sunderland officials opted against the move in the summer.
However, club sources have indicated he is very much a player who remains on the radar. They'll monitor the attacking midfielder's situation in January to see if the asking price reduces, and if not, they will make their move next summer when he will be available on a free - providing he doesn't sign a new Peterborough contract in the meantime.
And asked about the situation in an interview with the Athletic, the 26-year-old was coy, but didn't rule out the possibility.
"I was at Sunderland before I came to Newcastle [academy], and I was a Sunderland fan growing up. Then, when I went to Newcastle, I tried to become a part of it there, which wasn’t easy when most of my family are Sunderland fans. I had to ignore all of that.
"You never know in football [about a future move to Sunderland]. “It was nice to score against the team who didn’t want me.
“I don’t know where my career will take me. Hopefully, I can go far with Peterborough but, in the future, you never know. If something comes up, then who knows.”
Maddison has seven goals and six assists in 13 league games so far this season, as Darren Ferguson's side moved top of the table on Wednesday evening when Ipswich slipped up for a second consecutive game.
