SUNDERLAND chairman Niall Quinn has promised supporters that he is working hard with manager Steve Bruce to build an “exciting” squad ahead of the new Premier League season.

Sources close to Sweden international Sebastian Larsson last night confirmed that the free agent will join Sunderland next week after leaving Birmingham City at the end of last season.

Larsson has attracted interest from several clubs, including Aston Villa, but the midfielder rejected an offer from the Midlands club to be reunited with Bruce, who took him to Birmingham from Arsenal.

The Black Cats are hoping to complete the transfers of Kieren Westwood and David N’Gog soon, with the former set to sign a four-year-deal at the Stadium of Light after rejecting an offer to stay at Coventry City.

The Black Cats are hoping to improve on last season’s tenth place finish, but with several key players having left the club, Bruce has to re-build his squad once again.

Danny Welbeck, Nedum Onuoha, John Mensah and Sulley Muntari have all returned to their parent clubs after completing loan spells at the Stadium of Light.

The departure of those players, along with Darren Bent’s January transfer to Aston Villa and Jordan Henderson’s recent move to Liverpool, has left the Black Cats squad looking vulnerable.

Armed with the money made from the Bent and Henderson transfers, Bruce has already made inquiries for several players and will look to complete at least three deals over the next week.

With excitement towards the new season building after yesterday’s fixture announcement, Black Cats chairman Quinn remains confident there will be some exciting new players in the squad when Bruce takes his side to face Liverpool on the opening weekend of the season.

“We’re looking to build an exciting squad to meet the challenges to come and I’m confident we’ll be able to do that,” Quinn said. “We are exploring a number of potential signings and have been speaking to a number of players and agents.”

Seven days after the trip to Anfield, the Stadium of Light will host the first Tyne-Wear derby of the new campaign.

The early season meeting between Sunderland and Newcastle has already evoked a wave of excitement among fans and Quinn hopes it will attract more support to the club.

He said: “The journey begins again and it promises to be an interesting one.

“We’ve got a tough start to the season but you have to play everyone twice during the course of the season so it all evens itself out. There’s a real sense of excitement now and I hope the fans will get behind us and back us through the turnstiles.We’re all moving ahead in the same direction and there’s plenty to look forward to.”

* Sunderland season cards for the new season are on sale at the Stadium of Light.

Fans can snap up their season cards now and make savings against buying individual match tickets – a youngster under the age of 16 can buy a season card for £75, less than £4 a game.

Adult seats are available from £410 and supporters aged under 22 and over 65 can enjoy special prices from £280 and £310 respectively.

Season cards can be purchased online at www.safc.com. Application forms can be downloaded from the official website or are available in person at the Stadium of Light ticket office. Supporters can also call the ticket hotline on 0871 911 1973.