ROKER ROUNDUP: Report claims Sunderland are chasing Preston striker - but face tough competition

Competition for striker

Since it was revealed that Preston North End were willing to listen to offers for his services, Eoin Doyle has regularly been linked with a move to the Stadium of Light and according to the Irish Sun, Sunderland have a lot of competition for his signature.

The report claims that Charlton Athletic have joined Scunthorpe United and Fleetwood Town in the chase for the Irish striker.

The 30-year-old has struggled to find the back of the net for Preston in the Championship but his recent spells at League One level have been nothing short of prolific, with 35 goals and 10 assists coming in just 56 appearances in that division. He notched up 14 goals (with six assists) while on loan at Oldham last season and during the 2014-15 season he scored 21 goals in just 26 games for Chesterfield.

Larsson looking forward to England clash

Seb Larsson will return from suspension for Sweden on Saturday in his country’s quarter-final clash with England. The 33-year-old missed their last-16 clash against Switzerland due to picking up two yellow cards - naturally - and the midfielder can’t wait to play the country where he spent so much of his career:

Of course, incredibly awesome. First and foremost, it’s a quarter-final in the World Cup, what a great challenge that means in itself, to do it against England, where I have spent the last 17 years and played football, will be extra inspiring to see what we can do in that match.

Should he feature, Larsson will line up alongside former Sunderland team-mate Ola Toivonen for Sweden and may come up against former Sunderland team-mates Jordan Pickford and Danny Rose.

Photo by Nils Petter Nilsson/Ombrello/Getty Images

Youngster heads to Norway

Sunderland academy graduate Josh Robson, who was released by the club earlier this summer, has joined Notodden FK.

The right-back had been on loan with the Norwegian outfit earlier in the year but has now signed a permanent contract with the club.

Speaking on Twitter, Robson was delighted about getting his future sorted:

Chievo sign former Sunderland playmaker

Chievo have completed the permanent signing of former Sunderland midfielder Emanuele Giaccherini from Napoli.

Giaccherini was on loan with the Serie A side last season and, thanks to three goals and three assists in just 13 games, Chievo have now made the move permanent.

The 33-year-old has signed a three-year deal with the Italian club.