Preston North End manager Simon Grayson has been given permission to speak to Sunderland regarding their managerial vacancy, the club have confirmed.
In a statement today, Preston said: "Having spoken to Simon, he has asked permission to speak to the Black Cats and therefore the club had no option but to allow these conversations to take place, with a compensation package already guaranteed in his contract.
"Whilst these talks are ongoing, Steve Thompson will be in charge of first team affairs."
The club say they will make no further comment at this time, but a move may come as troubling news to some of the Irish contingent at the club.
Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle, whom Grayson brought to the club from Dundalk, could face an uncertain future should he leave the club.
Cork City's Sean Maguire is another player set to join Preston later this summer, but could find himself down the pecking order should Grayson join Sunderland.
Cork's Kevin O'Connor, meanwhile, is another player in the frame to join the club in the coming months.
These are players that Grayson has himself scouted from the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division, but may find themselves looking for another club if a new manager sees them as surplus to requirements.
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