Wickham has signed a new four-year deal with Sunderland, after giving Newcastle every opportunity to sign him.
Alan Pardew had him at the top of his "wanted list" but Mike Ashley refused to make a bid.
The England Under-21 international, whose five goals in three games in April played a major part in keeping the Black Cats in the Barclays Premier League, was due to be out of contract in the summer.
Had new terms not been agreed he would have been able to sign a pre-contract overseas in January, while closer to home the likes of Newcastle, West Ham and Crystal Palace have all shown an interest.