Steve Bruce to make summer move for Boro star Johnson

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is prepared to play a waiting game to land top 2010 target Adam Johnson.

And, despite confirming to the Sunday Mirror that he is chasing Middlesbrough’s exciting England Under-21 winger, Bruce has hinted a deal is more likely in the summer rather than this month. The Sunderland boss said:”Adam Johnson is a player we have looked at. We are aware of his situation.”

But, despite Johnson, who comes from a Sunderland-supporting family, being tempted by a move to the Stadium of Light there is also interest from Chelsea. Everton, Liverpool and Manchester United.

Bruce is now resigned to the fact that Boro boss Gordon Strachan will sell in January only if he can prise at least £5million from a buying club.

Strachan’s efforts to persuade Johnson to sign a new deal have drawn a blank, but the Boro boss isn’t desperate to sell the winger who has scored 10 goals this season.

Strachan knows he can hang on to his biggest goal threat for at least another five months, while still being certain that Boro will need to be compensated in the summer if another club comes in because Johnson will still be under 24.

Sunderland hope to get a better deal in the summer on 22-year-old Johnson, whose contract at the Riverside expires on June 30.

Boro will only be due a development fee to compensate them for the cost of grooming Johnson in their academy.

That would leave the Professional Football Compensation Committee to set the development fee.

In a recent ruling Everton were ordered to pay Leeds United an intitial £600,000 for England Under-17 skipper Luke Garbutt,with another £750,000 linked to future first-team appearances.

On those sort of figures Sunderland could reasonably hope to get Wearside-born Johnson for an initial compensation fee of about £2million.