Roker Roundup: Reports claim that Sunderland want to sign exciting title winning duo this summer

Orient duo linked

Sunderland made an unsuccessful £200,000 for Leyton Orient forward Josh Koroma on transfer deadline day back in January and, according to reports, will make another attempt to sign the 20-year-old in the summer.

According to the Daily Mail, Sunderland will now face competition for Koroma from Middlesbrough for a player who scored 11 and provided a further seven goals for his team-mates this season.

One of those team-mates, Macauley Bonne, has also been linked with a move to Sunderland this summer.

Talksport claim that as well as Sunderland, Charlton Athletic, Sheffield, Wednesday, Middlesbrough, Sheffield United and Leicester are all interested in the striker.

Bonne scored 23 goals for the O’s this season as they won the National League and has a £200,000 release clause in his contract but has been offered improved terms in an attempt to keep him at Brisbane Road next season.

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Eisa on the move

Sunderland made a big move for Cheltenham Town striker Mo Eisa last summer but lost out on his services when he decided to join Championship outfit Bristol City instead.

That move did not work out as planned for the player though, as he failed to start a single league game for the club.

Now he could be moving on after just one season, with Robins boss Lee Johnson admitting that there have been offers for his services:

There have been bids in for Mo.

We’ll have to make a decision as a club. I do believe in Mo’s talents.

There’s a lot of interest in our players at the top end and bottom end. It’s not definite that he’s going to leave.

If we don’t see Mo as our 25-goal striker it might be right to let him move on with a hand shake.

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Trialist signs for Oxford

Oxford United have signed young Wolverhampton Wanderers left-back Kevin Berkoe on a free transfer after he left the Premier League side.

The 17-year-old has signed a one-year deal with Oxford but had been on trial at Sunderland earlier in the year, alongside Chelsea’s Ruben Sammut and Peterborough’s Andrea Borg.

It’s Oxford who swooped for the player though and manager Karl Robinson is excited to have signed Berkoe:

It’s an exciting signing for us. Look at his pedigree and you can see he has a lot of ability and now he has to chance to push on and force his way in to the first team here.

He is quick, technically very good and I know there were a number of clubs looking at him so we are really happy that he sees his future at Oxford.

He has Josh Ruffels ahead of him and Michael Elechi coming through as well so we have good competition in that position which is really encouraging.