Sunderland are interested in the loan signing of Burnley striker Jon Walters, according to Sun journalist Alan Nixon.

Walters - an experienced striker famed for his bullish style and workmanlike approach - left Stoke City in the summer to join up with Sean Dyche’s side but has found opportunities limited, mainly due to injury, and as such finds himself behind Sam Vokes, Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes in the pecking order at Turf Moor this season.

It appears unlikely that Walters will force his way into Dyche’s plans any time soon, meaning that finding a new club before the end of the current month is of utmost importance to the former Ipswich Town man.

Nixon - noted for his tendency to call more things right than wrong these days when it comes to our club - claims that Sunderland want to loan the player with a view to securing a permanent move at the end of the season should the deal work out well.

Sunderland have lacked a serious aerial presence up top this season and, as such, have struggled to make the ball stick when ploughing forward.

And, now that top-scorer Lewis Grabban has left the club in order to return to Bournemouth, it leaves Chris Coleman’s squad with a serious hole in it, further increasing the need for the Sunderland manager to add a couple of strikers to his ranks as the transfer window progresses.

It’s thought that Coleman is exploring a number of options in order to add to his side, and other names that have been linked with a loan move to the club before the window closes at the end of the month are Manchester City’s Lukas Nmecha, Derby County’s Chris Martin - a striker more in the mould of Walters - and former West Ham forward Sam Baldock.

Related Two strikers who could replace James Vaughan at Sunderland amidst growing Wigan chatter

Bolton Wanderers target-man Gary Madine was thought to be interesting Sunderland but, after a spell of good form, it’s thought that the Gateshead-born striker is more likely to attract cash offers, with rumours suggesting that Neil Warnock’s Cardiff City have offered a seven-figure sum in order to secure his services.

Republic of Ireland man Walters is no stranger to a dog-fight, and built up a reputation at Stoke City as something of a footballing-warrior having battled his way to the Premier League following a fairly uneventful early career spent in the lower-leagues as a journeyman striker.

Despite his age, the Burnley striker is precisely the type of character that Chris Coleman will be looking to bring in as he bids to not only improve the options in his squad, but also the type of person that we have around the place, and Walters fits the bill perfectly.

Now aged 34, Walters will be keen to play as much football as possible as he reaches the twilight years of his career and it’s thought that a move away in order to secure regular playing time is within the best interests of both the player and his current club.

We’ll watch on from afar to see how this one progresses, but here’s hoping things move along smoothly and we’ll have the services of a dependable, hard-working centre forward to call upon sooner rather than later.