BENJI KIMPIOKA has been offered a permanent return to his Swedish homeland, with his time as a Sunderland player seemingly coming to an end.

Kimpioka, who returned to his native Sweden at the start of the coronavirus lockdown, is due to become a free agent at the end of this month.

The 20-year-old forward was offered an extension in 2019 after breaking into Sunderland’s first-team squad, but rejected the club’s initial approach, with his agent, Martin Klette, claiming he would only consider signing a new deal if he received guarantees about his involvement in the senior ranks.

That approach angered Jack Ross, and while Kimpioka has been involved in the first team under Phil Parkinson, there has been no attempt to initiate a new round of talks.

Parkinson is currently discussing his summer plans with chief executive Jim Rodwell and the rest of Sunderland’s recruitment team, but while he is keen to keep some of the 11 senior players that are due to become free agents in three weeks’ time, Kimpioka is unlikely to be offered a new deal.

Instead, the striker is set to leave the Black Cats having made 14 senior appearances, with at least two Swedish clubs hoping to recruit him.

“We have never negotiated any financial figures with Sunderland,” admitted Klette. “In February 2019, I pointed out that the first step for us was to know if Benjamin was considered good enough to be a first-team squad player. Since then there has been no real discussions about a new contract.

“It has always been a goal for Benjamin to become a first-team player for Sunderland, but it is not his or my decision to decide if he is considered good enough for that. That is always the decision of the club.”

Kimpioka, whose last Sunderland appearance came in November, has spent the last few weeks training with IK Sirius, the club he started his career with before moving to Sunderland in 2016.

IK Sirius are interested in signing him permanently, although at least one other club in the Swedish top-flight is also understood to have held discussions over a possible deal.

Meanwhile, the details of the League One play-offs have been confirmed with the semi-finals pitting Portsmouth against Oxford United and Wycombe Wanderers against Fleetwood Town.

The final will take place at Wembley on Monday, July 13.