WITH Paolo Di Canio continuing to target additions to his Sunderland squad, Alfred N'Diaye has welcomed this summer's ongoing transfer activity.

The Black Cats agreed a four-year deal with Cabral this week, and the Basle midfielder's switch to Wearside should be confirmed when his current contract with his Swiss employers ends at the end of next month.

Talks are also are at advanced stage with Maritimo centre-half Valentin Roberge, another player who is set to move to the North-East as a free agent once the transfer window officially opens.

Roberge, a 25-year-old Frenchman, was a target for QPR last summer and played against Newcastle United in last season's Europa League.

His arrival will help bolster a Black Cats backline that has been shorn of the services of Titus Bramble and Matt Kilgallon, who were both left off the retained list that was confirmed this week.

Di Canio, who is hoping to make at least half-a-dozen signings this summer, is working closely with incoming director of football, Roberto Di Fanti, and the pair are understood to have expressed an interest in Fenerbahce winger Milos Krasic.

The Serbia international left Juventus to move to Istanbul last summer, but his representative, Dejan Joksimovic, has hinted he will move to England before the start of next season, and Sunderland are one of a number of clubs to have indicated a desire to enter into more detailed discussions.

If Di Canio gets his way, there will be a major reshaping of Sunderland's squad over the next three months, and N'Diaye is delighted to see the club displaying such ambition.

The midfielder was one of only two players to move to Wearside in the January transfer window – Danny Graham was the other – and despite his new employers struggling to extricate themselves from the bottom three in the closing stages of the season, he sees no reason why Sunderland should not be targeting a top-ten finish next term.

“I think we will add players, and supporters should be excited,” said N'Diaye. “There may be changes, but the aim is to move forward. There are a lot of possibilities for Sunderland.

“I think we can move forward – we have players of quality who can do more and can play better and perform better.

“I think the top ten must be our target. It must. It is a good club with good fans, a good stadium and a good coach. Everyone is good in the club, so why not?

“Swansea finished ninth this season – they are not a better club that Sunderland are, so why shouldn't we aim for this?”

As well as looking to sign players, Di Canio will also be keen to move a number of people out of the club, and Premier League new boys Hull City have agreed a fee for Ahmed Elmohamady.

Elmohamady spent the majority of last season on loan at the KC Stadium, and Steve Bruce outlined his determination to seal a permanent deal for the Egyptian winger after his side gained promotion on the final day of the Championship season.

Elmohamady will conduct personal talks when he returns from his holiday, and Sunderland are set to recoup the vast majority of the £2m they spent to sign the 25-year-old.

“We are in the process of negotiating a deal,” said Hull managing director Nick Thompson. “We know where we stand with Sunderland on the price and now it's a case of agreeing a deal with the player and his agent.

“When it comes to a contract, Premier League expectations from players sometimes will not match up with our expectations. It's a case of talking and coming to a point where you can agree a reasonable position.”

Meanwhile, Sunderland are set to part company with their current head of medicine, Dr Glen Rae.