Deadline Day: ‘Not for sale’ and ‘overpriced’ - Sunderland bids for Marquis & Grigg rejected

Jack Ross is still looking to add two strikers to his squad following the departure of top scorer Josh Maja to Bordeaux, and has had two major bids rejected as the transfer deadline approaches.

The bids were both worth around £1.5m and were for Wigan Athletic’s Will Grigg and John Marquis of Doncaster Rovers.

Doncaster made it clear League One’s joint-top goalscorer Marquis was not for sale, as they look to make their own promotion push in the second half of the season.

Sunderland have chased Grigg for most of the month, as the Northern Ireland international emerged as the club’s first choice striker target, but despite matching and then exceeding Wigan’s orginal valuation of the player, the latest revised bid was rejected and the valuation for the player was increased to an amount that the club believe is too much.

The transfer window closes at 11pm tonight and as the club considers their options, the chase for Grigg may not be over just yet.