SUNDERLAND are winning the battle to sign Jan Paul van Hecke on loan, with the Brighton centre-half having been lined up for a season-long loan deal.

With Dan Ballard and Carl Winchester both facing lengthy injury lay-offs, Alex Neil has made the capture of a new central defender a key priority in the final week-and-a-half of the transfer window.

Talks took place over van Hecke at the end of last week, with Brighton keen to tie the 22-year-old down to a new long-term deal at the Amex Stadium before sending him out on loan.

Van Hecke’s current deal is due to expire at the end of the current campaign, but the Seagulls do not want to lose the Dutchman, who is regarded as an extremely bright long-term prospect by Graham Potter and the rest of his senior coaching team.

Van Hecke spent last season on loan at Blackburn Rovers, and Sunderland’s Championship rivals are keen to re-sign their former player for another campaign.

However, Sunderland have been pushing hard for a deal of their own, and the indications over the weekend were that the Stadium of Light was a likelier destination for van Hecke than a return to Ewood Park.

A final decision is expected in the next couple of days, with Neil keen to have at least a couple of new faces available for next weekend’s home game with Norwich City.

Van Hecke played in the majority of Brighton’s pre-season matches, and was an unused substitute for the Seagulls’ opening two matches of the new Premier League campaign, so should be match-fit and able to slot straight into the matchday squad with his new employers if required.

Sunderland continue to be heavily linked with Costa Rica international Jewison Bennette, with Central American media sources claiming the Black Cats have agreed a deal worth around £1m for the teenage winger.

Bennette became the youngest senior international in Costa Rica’s history when he was awarded his first cap at the age of just 17, and has been keen to make a move to Europe in order to further his career.

“We will be recruiting,” said Neil, at the end of last week. “I’m very confident that we’ll have players in sooner rather than later – we know the job that we’ve got to do.

“It’s always hectic at the end of the window, but what I will say is that I’m hopeful that we will get a couple in before the sweep at the end. Things are certainly moving in the right direction – we’ll see how we go.”