Disgraced footballer Adam Johnson is reportedly planning to resurrect his career abroad after accepting he will never be able to play professionally in the UK again.

Former Sunderland star Johnson, 30, is entering his final year behind bars having seen his bid to overturn his conviction fail.

Upon release, he will be unable to pursue a lucrative career in the United States' Major League soccer due to the country's strict rules on allowing sex offenders into the country.

Paedophile footballer Adam Johnson (pictured left, when he was arrested and right, at court) is planning to resurrect his career abroad and is targeting China, Turkey and the Middle East

Johnson earned £60,000-a-week while playing for Sunderland but was jailed for six years for sexually abusing a teenage fan

And most European clubs would also be off limits, leaving Johnson with the option to look into a move to the Middle East, China or even Turkey, according to the Sun.

Johnson, who earned £60,000-a-week before his conviction, no longer has an agent and his father, David, is managing his career.

A source said: 'He definitely wants to play again – but it is just a question of where and if anyone will pick him up.

'He's clearly a talented player and would get into many a team – even with a lengthy spell behind bars.

'China or the Gulf States in the Middle East are probably his best option where he could go and be forgotten, but the Turkish league is also a contender.'

Johnson is currently locked up at HMP Moorland, near Doncaster in South Yorkshire.

He was jailed for six years in March 2016 for sexually abusing a teenage fan he groomed online.