•  Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers are pushing the hardest to sign Jay Stansfield from Fulham.
•  Stansfield has struggled for game time at Fulham and needs regular minutes to continue his development into senior football.
•  Both the Black Cats and QPR are lacking options in attack and could benefit from Stansfield’s potential and abilities.

Sunderland and QPR are pushing the hardest to recruit Jay Stansfield from Fulham.

According to Darren Witcoop, the Premier League side have made their decision on the future of the forward.

The 20-year-old will be allowed to leave Craven Cottage on loan before the 1st September deadline arrives in under two weeks.

The Cottagers are insisting that he needs to play at the highest level, so have turned down approaches from League One amid interest from the Championship.

Stansfield was on the bench for Fulham’s opening league clash with Everton last weekend, but has found first-team opportunities hard to come by in Marco Silva’s side.

Who is interested in Jay Stansfield?

Sunderland and QPR are said to be showing the most concrete interest in the forward as they both look to reinforce their attacking options.

However, it has been exclusively revealed by Football League World that Millwall also have an interest in the player.

Reading have also been linked with a move for Stansfield, but the Royals’ chances of signing the striker look increasingly unlikely as Marco Silva’s side target a Championship move.

Stansfield has struggled for game time at Craven Cottage, playing just three league games in the Premier League last season.

This has made gaining senior level experience difficult, with game time now needed to aid his development.

Fulham still see the forward as someone with long-term potential, which has led to the club seeking a loan deal this summer as opposed to a permanent deal.

The Black Cats and the R’s are both looking to strengthen in attack, with both teams lacking options.

What experience does Jay Stansfield have?

Stansfield has previously gone out on loan to Exeter City, featuring 36 times in League One last year.

He contributed nine goals and seven assists in the third tier to help the team secure a 14th-place finish in the table.

The 20-year-old also has one Premier League start to his name, featuring in a 3-2 win over Brentford 12 months ago.

He played for 76 minutes in the team’s third game back in the top flight, also appearing off the bench in fixtures against Wolves and Arsenal.

Stansfield will now be looking for a move where he can get consistent game time this season, in order to continue his development into senior football.

Sunderland and QPR could both offer him regular minutes, so it could be up to the player to determine his future if either club can come to an agreement with Fulham over a temporary deal.

Would Jay Stansfield be a good signing for Sunderland or QPR?

Sunderland’s lack of clear goalscoring threat has been evident in their opening league fixtures, losing both of them 2-1.

QPR also lack threatening options in attack and could use someone of Stansfield’s stature to fill out their squad.

It would be a big test to make the jump up to the Championship from League One, but the forward performed well in the third tier and now looks ready to compete in the second tier.

Tony Mowbray has proven an excellent coach for working with younger players, which could sway Stansfield into making the switch to the Stadium of Light, but a move to Loftus Road would also involve him remaining in London, which could be appealing.