Here are some of the latest rumours on Wearside, as we edge closer to Deadline Day with Pierre Ekwah our only addition so far...
NEMETH FROZEN OUT
Genk striker Andras Nemeth has been banished to the reserves as he continues to refuse a new contract at the Belgian club. Nemeth has been linked heavily with Sunderland, with the Black Cats reportedly willing to give him six months to bed in before taking on a bigger role next season. With the 20-year-old's contract expiring this summer, he hasn't played a minute of senior football since before the World Cup break - with his last appearance coming on November 13th as a late sub against Anderlecht. Previous reports claimed Genk were determined not to lose him this January, even if it meant getting no money for him in the summer. However their stance seems to have softened, as fellow youngster Sekou Diawara is set to be allowed to join Udinese.
GELHARDT UPDATE
A few days ago Joe Gelhardt's loan move to Wigan was all-but-confirmed. But it is clear that the deal is yet to be agreed, and it seems that Sunderland are competing with Blackburn and Middlesbrough for the Leeds striker. The 20-year-old will be allowed to leave Leeds on loan in search of senior football and it may simply come down to who is willing to pay the bigger portion of Gelhardt's wages.
WRIGHT LINKED AWAY
Reports have suggested that the likes of Aberdeen, Portsmouth, Derby County and Hibernian all want Bailey Wright on loan. It has been reported that while Sunderland aren't actively looking to loan the defender out, they won't stand in his way if the offer of regular first-team football tempts the Aussie away. While he hasn't started every game this season, he has been a useful figure around the squad and made 14 Championship appearances. He's now 30, but when you've got a young squad like Sunderland do, it's good to have a couple of experienced heads in the dressing room - even if they don't start every game. Surely it would only make sense to let Wright leave if we had a ready-made replacement lined up. New Pompey boss John Mousinho said: “I know about Bailey, he’s an excellent player and got Sunderland out of League One last year. When you are saying names like that, of course he would be a really solid addition to the squad. But I genuinely haven’t had the chance to really look into that yet – we definitely will over the next couple of days.”
