Sunderland striker Josh Maja snubs Crystal Palace and Cardiff to join Bordeaux as another British teenager leaves for chance in Europe
Maja - star of Netflix documentary Sunderland Til I Die - is the Black Cats top scorer this season and is the latest English kid to quit and try their luck on the Continent
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SUNDERLAND striker Josh Maja has snubbed a move to the Premier League to join Bordeaux.
report the 20-year-old turned down a new deal at the Stadium of Light to move to the Ligue 1 side for a deal that could be worth up to £3.5million.
Maja, who came through Sunderland's academy, has scored 15 goals in 24 League One appearances this season.
Crystal Palace and Cardiff were also tracking the London-born forward.
However, Maja has opted to move to France and join Bordeaux currently 11th in the French top flight on a four-and-a-half-year deal.
The Black Cats had no choice but to sell or they risked losing their top scorer for just £300,000 at the end of the campaign, but are now expected to pocket a sell-on fee if he moves on again.
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Maja broke into the Sunderland team midway through last season, but scored just once in 17 appearances as they were relegated from the Championship.
After successive relegations, Maja's prolific form has put Sunderland in contention for a swift return to the second tier, with the club in third place, just three points off the automatic promotion spots.
Boss Jack Ross is looking to reinvest the money by landing Wigan striker Will Grigg.
But the Lancashire side have rejected four bids for the Northern Ireland international.