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With Sunderland's pursuit of Brighton & Hove Albion pair Liam Bridcutt and Will Buckley seemingly going to the wire, their hopes of signing Buckley may have been dealt a blow with the news that the South Coast club have put a valuation £4m on the injury hit winger.
According to reports, Brighton have want £4m for the 24-year-old, with Sunderland and Crystal Palace still hoping to reach an agreement with Oscar Garcia's side. Buckley is thought to be keen on a move to the Premier League, with Brighton lining up Middlesbrough's Mustapha Carayol as his replacement.
With Poyet still hoping to sign Bridcutt as well, recent reports suggest Connor Wickham may move to Brighton on loan as part of the deal, it looks as if Sunderland will have their work cut out to get the transfers over the line before the transfer window slams shut on Friday.
Buckley isn't the only winger on Sunderland's radar however, with Blackpool's Tom Ince due to meet Poyet at the Academy of Light later today. Ince has already travelled for talks with Swansea, Crystal Palace and Stoke, with the player stopping off at Hull for talks with Steve Bruce before travelling to Wearside. Everton and Liverpool are monitoring the situation and may yet make a late move for the 21-year-old.
Stay tuned to Roker Report throughout January as we keep you up to date with his and all other transfer news and rumours. Also, feel free to keep in touch with our dedicated Transfer Centre, which you can do by CLICKING HERE.
