Sunderland shed Fletcher, Brown and Graham

Sarah Winterburn

Sunderland have confirmed the departure of striker Steven Fletcher after leaving him off their official retained list for next season’s Premier League campaign.

The 29-year-old will exit alongside Wes Brown, Danny Graham and Steve Harper, none of whom will be offered extensions to their contracts which expire this summer.

Fletcher joined the Black Cats in a £12million move from Wolves in 2012 and scored 23 goals in 108 appearances for the club.

He signed a loan deal with Marseille in January and admitted earlier this week that he had no expectations of continuing his career at the Stadium of Light.

Brown will also see his injury-hit Sunderland career draw to a close while Graham has already reportedly drawn interest from the likes of Celtic and Blackburn.