Sunderland transfer news: Black Cats 'ready to receive' several bids for Stadium of Light hero this summer

Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson is reportedly set to permanently depart the Stadium of Light this summer.

The 25-year-old is currently spending the second half of the 2025-26 campaign on loan at Millwall, who are embroiled in a fight to secure automatic promotion to the Premier League over the next week.

The Lions' penultimate game of the regular season arrives tonight (April 24) at the King Power Stadium, where League One-bound Leicester City will be the hosts just three days after their unthinkable relegation was confirmed.

With six points left to battle for, Alex Neil's side are sitting in third spot in the Championship standings, level on points with second-placed Ipswich Town, who have crucially played a game fewer than their promotion rivals.

On paper, Patterson and Millwall have a pair of favourable fixtures to conclude the 46-game regular term, travelling to Leicester this evening before welcoming Oxford United to The Den on May 2.

Sunderland preparing for Patterson bids?

According to ChronicleLive, Sunderland are preparing for widespread interest in the services of goalkeeper Patterson during the summer transfer window, when the shot-stopper is expected to leave the club.

The report claims that current loan club Millwall is keen on bringing the 25-year-old back for the 2026-27 term, however, that deal could greatly depend on whether the Londoners secure promotion to the Premier League.

Already assured of a spot among England's elite next term, Coventry City are supposedly eyeing up a move for Patterson, with the future of Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Carl Rushworth uncertain.

Further down the second-tier pecking order, Hull City and West Bromwich Albion are also admirers of the Sunderland keeper, with the Baggies set to be hit by a points deduction before the end of the term.

Patterson is no longer part of the first-team plans at the Stadium of Light, with Sunderland said to be aiming to pocket at least £8m from the sale of the 25-year-old during the summer trading point.

Patterson's Sunderland slide

During the 2024-25 campaign, Patterson started 45 Championship matches - including all three playoff games - as Sunderland ended their eight-year absence from Premier League football in sensational style.

However, the summer signing of Robin Roefs from NEC Nijmegen pushed the 25-year-old out of the first-choice role in between the sticks for the Black Cats, with the Dutchman performing amazingly this season.

Patterson sat on the bench 23 times in the Premier League before a winter switch to Millwall, with the English shot-stopper seeking regular minutes into next season and beyond - something that Sunderland cannot offer.