Exclusive: Sunderland to terminate Jay Matete's contract if offer arises

Sunderland are ready to rip up Jay Matete’s contract if he can find himself a new club, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.

The 24-year-old has been told he is surplus to requirements at the Stadium of Light following the club’s promotion to the Premier League.

And after failing to secure a transfer fee for the player during the summer transfer window, our sources understand the club would be willing to lose him for free as they look to trim down the number of bodies in the building. 

A number of League One clubs still have space in their official squads for the season and could secure a deal for the talented midfielder.

Matete, whose contract is up next summer, moved to the North East in January 2022 as he was signed for a “significant" six-figure fee from Fleetwood Town. 

He played 14 times as Sunderland ended their painful stay in League One by earning promotion to the Championship via the play-offs.

On the Move Again

Matete featured just eight times for the club in the Championship and was loaned out to Plymouth Argyle, who won the League One title and finished runners-up in the EFL Trophy.

A spell at Oxford United in 2024 was short-lived. The U’s went on to also get promoted that season, but Matete’s spell lasted just six games as his campaign was prematurely ended due to a knee injury.

Matete featured 45 times for Bolton Wanderers during his most recent loan spell last season. During his time at the club, he received a retrospective three-match ban for violent conduct against Charlton Athletic, which was also Ian Evett’s last game in charge of the Trotters.

Speaking earlier in the window about a number of squad players, including Matete, Black Cats’ boss Regis Le Bris said: “Yes, absolutely [they can leave]. We split the squad with the players who really need to find game time. For the others, it's fair to say we need to assess their level right now, assess the squad and see after that.”