Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has made no secret of the fact that he wants to bring in some new faces to the club before the transfer window shuts on Monday. Those wishes could be about to be granted with The Black Cats closing in on two excellent additions.
According to The Shields Gazette, Sunderland are moving closer to signing attacking midfielder Ricky Alvarez and defender Virgil van Dijk. Poyet is confident he will get players in before the end of the transfer window, giving hope that the club can push these deals through in the coming days.
Speaking after Sunderland’s League Cup game this week, the manager said:
“We’re moving, we’re moving very fast because it’s getting close.
“I’m confident we’ll be doing something.
“You’re going to be surprised.”
Alvarez currently plays for Inter Milan who he joined in 2011. The midfielder has also played for the Argentina national side seven times and was part of the squad for the 2014 World Cup. In his time at the Italian outfit he has played 90 games in all competitions, scoring 14 goals and providing 19 assists.
The deal to bring him to the Stadium of Light is believed to be a season-long loan deal with the possibility of making the transfer permanent next summer for a fee of around £10 million. The Black Cats are leading the race to sign him despite interest from the likes of Atletico Madrid.
Defender van Dijk has made it clear to Celtic that he wants to leave now that they are no longer competing in the Champions League and Sunderland have launched a £6 million bid to secure his services.
The signing is vital as the Wearside club are short of options at centre and any injuries or suspensions could leave them exposed.
