TROY PARROTT is hoping to get a chance to prove himself at Tottenham this season, with his desire to remain in north London dealing a blow to Sunderland’s hopes of landing him on loan.

Sunderland officials have made an inquiry about Parrott’s potential availability this summer, with Alex Neil keen to sign the 20-year-old forward on loan.

Middlesbrough have also been linked with a possible move for Parrott, who enjoyed considerable success while on loan at MK Dons last season.

Having joined Spurs from his native Ireland in 2019, Parrott endured unsuccessful loan spells at Millwall and Ipswich before joining MK Dons last summer.

He scored ten goals in all competitions last season, with his performances proving a major factor in MK Dons’ run to the play-offs, and continued his development in the Nations League earlier this month, scoring in the Republic of Ireland’s 3-0 win over Scotland and also catching the eye in a 1-1 draw with Ukraine.

His performances for Stephen Kenny’s side led to renewed speculation about his future, but while he will face a huge battle if he is to force his way into Antonio Conte’s first-team plans, he is hoping to use pre-season as an opportunity to prove he is ready to make his mark in the Premier League.

Conte is the fourth manager he has worked under during his short time with Spurs – following Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo – but while the constant upheaval has hardly helped him try to settle, he is focused on trying to impress the current incumbent.

“I can’t control what goes on there (with Spurs),” said Parrott. “That’s out of my hands. All I can do is try to impress whoever is there, and that’s what I fully intend doing when I go back there for pre-season.

“After two disappointing loans (at Millwall and Ipswich), it’s fair to say that things are looking up for me and I am on a bit of an upward trajectory. I just need to keep that going, keep improving, and keep giving it my all.

“Going on loan is for playing men’s football and realising what you have to do throughout a game, and I think I have matured a lot over the three loans that I’ve had. I’m just happy that it’s starting to click.”

Sunderland might well find themselves in a position where Parrott’s future will not be resolved until the end of the transfer window, a less-than-ideal scenario given that their other two main loan targets, Jack Clarke and Nathan Broadhead, are also in the same position.

The Black Cats are one of a number of Championship clubs to have held talks with AFC Wimbledon over their highly-rated midfielder Jack Rudoni.

The 21-year-old scored 12 goals and claimed five assists in his 41 League One matches last season, and while his efforts were insufficient to keep the Dons in the third tier, he emerged from the campaign with considerable credit.

Sunderland are prepared to pay £1m to secure his services, but AFC Wimbledon are holding out for a higher fee with Bristol City and Huddersfield also interested.

Dons boss Johnnie Jackson is hoping to be able to keep Rudoni to spearhead his side’s efforts to win promotion from League Two at the first time of asking, but if he has to sell, he wants to secure the best possible price in order to ensure he has funds to reinvest.

Meanwhile, Sunderland youngster Jacob Carney is set to join Scottish side Queen’s Park on a season-long loan. Carney, a 21-year-old goalkeeper, joined the Black Cats from Manchester United’s youth set-up last summer, but is yet to make his senior debut for Sunderland.