PORTUGUESE side Belenenses last night pledged to do all they could to hold onto Sunderland transfer target Eliseu writes SCOTT WILSON.

Black Cats boss Mick McCarthy is understood to be lining up a £250,000 offer for the Portuguese Under-21 international after making tentative enquiries last month.

McCarthy has been in Portugal in his role as a BBC summariser and is keen to capture the young striker, who can also play on the left wing.

But Belenenses boss Augusto Inacio is to meet with Eliseu this week in an attempt to persuade him to stay with the struggling outfit.

Portuguese sources suggest that Inacio is prepared to guarantee the striker a first-team place if he spurns Sunderland's advances and signs a new deal.

Eliseu was hardly used at all last season, scoring just one goal as Belenenses finished a lowly 16th in the Portuguese top-flight. But, while Inacio is prepared to do all he can to keep hold of the youngster, club president Sequeira Nunes is well aware that he is out of contract next summer.

Nunes is adamant that Eliseu will not be allowed to leave for nothing and, if this week's talks break down, the Belenenses chief will give Sunderland the green light to make their approach. The Black Cats are desperately searching for a new striker after withdrawing their previous contract offer to Darren Byfield.

Byfield is expected to sign for former club Walsall later this week and, with Tommy Smith having opted to sign a three-year deal at Derby, McCarthy is dangerously short of firepower as he prepares to welcome his troops back for the start of pre-season training.

New signing Stephen Elliott is the only genuine cover for first-choice strike pairing Kevin Kyle and Marcus Stewart, and McCarthy is expected to unveil at least one more forward before Sunderland leave for their pre-season tour of the United States next weekend.

The Black Cats boss remains keen to sign Newcastle striker Michael Chopra on loan but, with United set to lose Lomana LuaLua to Portsmouth, Sunderland's North-East rivals are still mulling over their own options up front.

* Walsall manager Paul Merson has revealed his gambling problems have resurfaced again but he believes he has the situation under control. Newspaper reports suggested the former England and Arsenal midfielder was spending thousands of pounds a day at the bookmakers. ''Regarding the story printed today in one of the Sunday papers, I have to admit that I regressed into gambling during the summer,'' said Merson.