EVEN if Sunderland climb into the Premier League’s top ten with a final-day victory at Wolves tomorrow, manager Steve Bruce is ready for a summer of change when up to 11 members of his first-team squad could move on.

The Black Cats’ £8m defender Anton Ferdinand is likely to head the list of departures, while George Mc- Cartney’s second spell at the Stadium of Light is likely to come to an end, while fullback Phil Bardsley will be made available at the right price.

Bruce is also keen to ensure David Healy, Daryl Murphy, Nyron Nosworthy, Marton Fulop, Teemu Tainio and Roy O’Donovan secure permanent transfers before pre-season training starts in July after allowing them all to move out on loan this season.

The Sunderland boss fears a cut-price deal will not be struck with Lyon for John Mensah, who was named in Ghana’s provisional World Cup squad yesterday, while he will also reject an opportunity to turn Benjani’s loan move from Manchester City into a permanent arrangement.

The situation means the close-season could turn out to be pretty hectic for Bruce and Quinn, who are by no means certain they can strike a deal with Tottenham for their £9mrated right-back Alan Hutton.

Bruce is keen to avoid having to sell his preferred fullback on the opposite flank, but Kieran Richardson, heading into the final year of his contract, will have to outline his desire to stay put.

Richardson, a centre-midfielder, has spoken publicly about his reservations about playing the defensive role, which would inevitably form a major part of discussions over a new deal.

Bruce wants the former Manchester United man to commit to the club for the long term, although if he feels a deal is far from being struck then Richardson could be added to the list of potential departures.

“We are going to try to open negotiations with Kieran and his representatives over the summer,” said Bruce, who has a long-standing interest in Wigan’s £7m-rated left-back Maynor Figueroa.

“He could save me millions because I have been really impressed with him there. The big thing for me is getting him to agree to play there. That will be part of the negotiations with him.

“If there’s no sign of him signing a new contract then the last thing I want is to lose a player with value. The players are entitled to stay with their contracts, but if we can’t tie him up then we would look to cash in.”

A deal for Hutton remains one of the priorities of the summer for Sunderland, but if the likes of Ferdinand, Mc- Cartney and Bardsley are all moved, on then it would become essential for Bruce to agree terms with Richardson.

The Sunderland manager does not want to tear apart a squad that has served him well this season, when only a dreadful 14-match run of form prevented them from finishing in the top eight in the Premier League.

He did confirm yesterday that Dutch midfielder Bolo Zenden has verbally agreed terms to stay. He also confirmed that Paraguayan midfielder Cristian Riveros, as stated in The Northern Echo a week ago, was on the verge of becoming the first new signing of the summer.

The 27-year-old, expected to be a key figure for his country in next month’s World Cup finals, will move to Sunderland for nothing.

Bruce’s interest in Cruz Azul’s centre-midfielder, who has also been playing wide in the Mexican league, dates back to his days in charge of Wigan, when he was priced out of a move.

“We have been working a long time on Riveros. I tried to buy him two years ago and I was quoted £12m and I couldn’t afford him,” said Bruce. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we got him in the next week or so.

“Technically, he’s a very, very good footballer. He’ll go to the World Cup with Paraguay. As always with South Americans, he’ll need a bit of time to settle and adjust, but I think we’ll all be delighted if he does sign and is a Sunderland player playing at the World Cup.

“I never thought I’d get him because of that price tag, but I was tipped off and we’ve been to see him regularly now.”