JOSH MAJA wants to keep delivering in a Sunderland shirt to gain greater rewards in the game after admitting he would like to stay and commit to a new deal at the Stadium of Light.

Maja’s seven goals this season have caught the eye of scouts across the country because he leads the scoring charts in League One and that has helped the Black Cats climb to third in the table.

The 19-year-old’s contract on Wearside is up for renewal at the end of the season and just last week manager Jack Ross admitted that the situation is a “priority” and that he was keen to get him tied down.

Sunderland’s financial situation, with a wage bill that still stands at around £11m until the futures of Papy Djilobodji and Didier Ndong are officially thrashed out after they were informed a procedure to sack them had started, means it is difficult to offer new terms at this stage.

But Maja, who struck another two goals in the win over Rochdale on Saturday, is ready to talk when Sunderland want him to.

After he was asked if he would like to stay, he said: “Yeah, for sure. I’m happy at the club right now.

“All I’m focused on is getting the club back to where it should be and that is the Premier League. This season is a big year for us, we want promotion, to win the league. If we stick together we can do that.

“I think the goals have shown the manager and the club what I can do. As long as I stay grounded and humble, working hard, then more opportunities will come my way.”

Maja had impressed for the academy teams and Under-23s after moving to Sunderland from Fulham in 2015, when Manchester City decided against offering him a way out of Craven Cottage.

He enjoyed a positive impact last season in the Championship with occasional appearances but relegation to League One has seen him hit hew heights in terms of performance and he wants that to continue.

Maja, who will face Coventry this Saturday, said: “I always believed that I could score, even when I was younger. That any given chance I could take and obviously this season, I’ve been able to show it to Sunderland and to the whole league.

“Hopefully I can continue that. As a striker you don’t want to be second guessing yourself, in my head, you make sure you don’t overthink it, just strike the ball. At the moment it is paying off.

“There were highs and lows last season but I feel more comfortable playing first team football now. Playing under a lot of pressure last season, it was difficult but you need it as a young player. This season I’ve been able to show what I can do.”

One of Maja’s biggest influences was Jermain Defoe during his time on Wearside.

He said: “Jermain was a big role model for me, and he supported me when I was moving up to the first team. To get that support from him was really nice. From a goalscorer like him, it was really good to see.”