The 25-year-old’s current contract is set to expire at the end of the season.
“Phil was actually offered a new contract a few weeks ago and he’s currently considering it,” Sunderland boss Steve Bruce told the Sunderland Echo.
“The chairman, Niall Quinn, was in touch with Phil’s advisers and we’ve made an offer to him.
“But it would be wrong to say too much about it because it’s still ongoing and hopefully we’ll have some good news in the next few weeks.”
