Amidst the management speculation, have Sunderland been watching this young left winger?

According to transfer gossip in Germany, Sunderland have been keeping tabs on Red Star Belgrade’s young winger Luka Adžić.

The 19-year-old is also said to be wanted by Bundesliga side Hamburger SV, who the reports suggest are in pole position to land the Serbian youngster in no small part thanks to Sunderland’s current poor prospects at the foot of the Championship.

Born in Belgrade, Adžić joined Red Star at the age of six and, on the brink of making his senior debut, a serious cruciate ligament injury hampered his progress. The young winger signed his first professional contract in May 2016 and made his first team bow in October last year.

Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images

During the summer, the player - who turned 19 in September - was rated as one of Red Star’s top young talents and was called up to the Serbian U21 set-up. The 6ft winger was recently on the bench for Arsenal’s Europa League clash with Red Star and has made 10 league appearances in the Serbian SuperLiga, contributing two assists.

He is the son of former pro Ivan Adžić, who made over 100 appearances for Red Star in the 1990s, and his grandfather Šaban Šaulić is a folk singer who has been on the go since the 1960s and now appears as a judge on a Serbian TV singing contest which resembles The Voice.

The link to Sunderland appeared in German outlet Fussballtransfers.com. The site claims numerous scouts, including one representing Sunderland and various figures from Bundesliga clubs, watched Adžić last Friday as he turned out for Serbia in a UEFA Euro U21 qualifier against Austria.

The Black Cats have been regular visitors to Central Europe in recent years to scout for prospects in the likes of Germany and Austria - particularly during Sam Allardyce’s tenure at the Stadium of Light.

Adžić is under contract at Red Star to December 2018 and reports suggest he would be available for a fee of around £400,000. With Sunderland likely to have precious little to spend in January, the young winger may yet be an affordable option.