The agent for U.S. international striker Jozy Altidore has said that he'll be visiting with Sunderland during the upcoming international break, to better to ascertain Altidore's future at the Premier League club.
Altidore, who is in the second year of a four-year contract, has been primarily used as a substitute this season behind first-choice strikers Steven Fletcher and Connor Wickham. The former AZ Alkmaar striker has made eight appearances in all competitions this season, scoring one goal in the Capital One Cup against Stoke City.
Last year Altidore suffered through an extremely difficult campaign, one that saw him tally just two times in 37 total appearances.
"I'll be in Sunderland next week to discuss where things are [with Altidore]," the player's agent, Lyle Yorks, said by telephone.
Yorks said that he has been contacted by clubs in Germany's Bundesliga as well as Italy's Serie A with regard to Altidore's future, and that following his meetings with Sunderland he'll be traveling to both countries to gauge interest in the player. He said that French side Lille had expressed interest as well.
Yorks added: "There's a lot of interest in Jozy. I've been approached by many clubs and we're going to evaluate everything in the next two months."
French football journalist Andrew Gibney had earlier tweeted that the club was lining up a loan move for Altidore. Yorks added that Lille had actually attempted to acquire Altidore last spring, and that another French club that he declined to identify had also shown strong interest.
At the 2014 World Cup, Altidore suffered a hamstring injury just minutes into the U.S. national team's opener against Ghana. That slowed his progress when he returned to Sunderland for preseason. But after making a complete recovery, Altidore has struggled to crack Sunderland's starting lineup.
With U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann stressing the importance of getting regular playing time, Altidore is keen to be in a situation in which he's playing regularly.
"[The next] four years, I want to be part of the national team," Altidore told reporters prior to last month's friendly against Ecuador. "Jurgen makes his messages very clear, and nobody is different. If it doesn't turn around, in January then I'll be looking to start elsewhere, and make sure I'm in his plans going forward."