SUNDERLAND are hoping to wrap up deals for two midfielders ahead of Friday's deadline, as club bosses continue their efforts to bolster the attack and weigh up their options with several targets being assessed.

The Black Cats are hoping to finalise the capture of highly-rated Serbian teenager Milan Aleksic from Radnicki 1923.

And Sunderland are also confident of wrapping up a deal for Lens midfielder Salis Abdul Samed, with loan talks progressing positively.

The double midfield raid raises fresh questions over the future of Pierre Ekwah amid reports in France that Saint Etienne have identified the Sunderland midfielder as a leading target in the final days of the window.

The capture of Aleksic would be seen as quite the coup for Sunderland. The highly-rated 18-year-old has previously been linked with Benfica and Chelsea and was recently called up to Serbia's senior national squad.

A deal hasn't been finalised yet but Sunderland are increasingly confident, with a fee of around £3m said to have been agreed. Ghana international Samed is also increasingly likely to arrive at the Stadium of Light in what has the look of being an extremely busy final 48 hours ahead of the summer transfer deadline.

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Sunderland are continuing their push to add extra firepower and are still interested in Tom Cannon, Roko Simic and Alexandre Mendy. The Northern Echo understands, however, that Sunderland also have other unnamed attacking targets and are weighing up their options.

The Black Cats added Wilson Isidor to their attack last week but the 23-year-old is as comfortable playing left wing as he is up-front, with Cannon, Simic and Mendy all out and out strikers.

Sunderland made the first move in the race to sign highly-coveted Cannon earlier this week, but rivals Hull City have now also tabled an offer for the 21-year-old.

The Foxes won't stand in Cannon's way but with Norwich City and Sheffield United also interested, the Premier League club are keen to spark a bidding war in the final days and hours of the window.

Sunderland would love to sign Cannon but won't be held to ransom and will turn their attention to their other attacking targets if the asking price goes too far north.

Sunderland are set to sanction several exits in the next couple of days, with the likes of Hemir, Jewison Bennette, Zak Johnson and Joe Anderson all available on loan.

Timothee Pembele doesn't feature in Regis Le Bris' plans and the Wearsiders wouldn't stand in the way of moves for Abdoullah Ba and Adil Aouchiche.