Reports: Sunderland Step Up Duncan Pursuit

According to reports in Italy, Sunderland are stepping up their pursuit of Inter Milan midfielder Alfred Duncan, though no deal appears imminent.

Sunderland are said to have scheduled a meeting with the Serie A club today to try and reach some kind of agreement for the Ghanaian.

The driving force behind the Black Cats' interest in Duncan appears to be new Technical Director Valentino Angeloni, who likes the player 'at all costs'.

Whilst there does seem to be a genuine willingness at the Inter end to do business on Duncan, there would appear to be a little work to be done to persuade them to sanction the sale. It is reported that Sunderland's offering currently stands at €6m, with the Nerazzurri holding out for something closer to €8m.

It has been a busy day in terms of potential midfield reinforcements, with Sunderland's interest in Tom Huddlestone also coming to light this morning. The interest itself in the Tottenham man is understood to be genuine, but reports it being at a relatively advanced stage are probably jumping the gun a little.

Regardless, it seems quite evident at this point that Paolo Di Canio has asked for a near total reinvention of the Sunderland midfield for next season. Sure to be many developments on the horizon.