SUNDERLAND are set to kick off their summer spending with deals for Australian defender Nectarios Triantis and Portuguese forward Luis Semedo.

The pair, who are aged 20 and 19 respectively, are the subject of ongoing discussions involving senior Sunderland officials, with the Black Cats hoping to tie up deals for both players before the transfer window officially reopens later this month.

The interest in the duo reflects the club’s ongoing desire to pursue talented youngsters, often based overseas, who can be developed and improved within Sunderland’s first-team squad.

Triantis, who is a 20-year-old centre-half who currently plays with Australian A-League team Central Coast Mariners, is close to finalising a summer switch to Wearside.

Sunderland are understood to have agreed a fee of around £300,000 for the Australia Under-20 international, who is about to enter the final year of his contract with his current employers.

However, while preliminary discussions have taken place with the Central Coast hierarchy, talks are on hold until next week as Triantis is due to be part of the Mariners squad for this weekend’s A-League final against Melbourne City.

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The youngster is expected to play a prominent role in the final, having impressed during his first full season as part of the Mariners’ senior squad.

Understandably, his focus is currently on that game, although Mariners owner, Richard Peil, has admitted there are likely to be developments once the final whistle has blown.

Asked about Triantis’ future, and the reported interest from Sunderland, Peil said: “I’m not going to confirm or deny any rumours at the moment - I just want to let the players play their game.

“Like every off-season, there’ll be players coming in and players going out, that we guarantee. We’ll make some comments post the grand final.”

Sunderland have also been pursuing Semedo, a 19-year-old forward who has developed through Benfica’s academy to force his way to the fringe of the first-team picture at the Lisbon-based club.

Semedo, a tall, athletic centre-forward, was the leading scorer during Benfica’s successful UEFA Youth League campaign in the 2021-22 season.

He made his debut for Benfica B in January 2022, but is yet to make his maiden senior appearance for the club.

A Portugal Under-20 international, he is due to become a free agent this summer, with the Portuguese media reporting that Benfica have opted not to offer him a new deal.

Sunderland officials are understood to have held talks with his representatives, and are hoping to tie up a free transfer that will see Semedo join Tony Mowbray’s first-team group.

The Black Cats are short of attacking options after Joe Gelhardt and Amad Diallo returned to Leeds United and Manchester United respectively following the end of their loan deals at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland have already agreed a £3m deal for Birmingham City midfielder Jobe Bellingham, with sporting director Kristjaan Speakman having spelled out his determination to hit the ground running this summer when he conducted an interview with the club’s official website at the end of last month.

“We will always like to be as early as possible to recruiting players because I think it gives us the most preparation time,” said Speakman. “And we have pre-season for a reason.

“Some of our recruitment work and scouting has been going on (for a long time) – some of the players we’re engaging with at the moment, the work has been going on for the last year.”