Fulham will try to push through their interest in Sunderland midfielder Dickson Etuhu before the transfer deadline closes on Monday.
Cottagers boss Roy Hodgson sees the Nigerian international as the final piece in the jigsaw at Craven Cottage, where the summer has been spent rebuilding, writes Graeme Anderson.
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Sign up for free SAFC email updatesHodgson wants a holding midfielder to deputise whenever 32-year-old Danny Murphy is unavailable to the side.
And the 26-year-old Sunderland player, who is competing for a place in a now crowded midfield, fits the bill for the Londoners.
Fulham had been interested in the possibility of signing Dean Whitehead in the wake of a spate of new arrivals at the Stadium of Light.
But Sunderland have no desire to sell their skipper and Fulham switched their sights to Etuhu.
Midfield has gone from being an area of modest competition at Sunderland to being the area with the most intense pressure for places.
"But the deal is going to be wrapped up some time today."
The Cottagers boss sees the Nigerian international as the final piece in the jigsaw at Craven Cottage, where the summer has been spent rebuilding.
He wants a holding midfielder to deputise whenever 32-year-old Danny Murphy is unavailable to the side.
And Etuhu fits the bill for the Londoners.
Midfield has gone from being an area of modest competition at Sunderland to being the area with the most intense pressure for places.
And there's no doubt that the new arrivals had pushed Etuhu down the pecking order.
The full article contains 281 words and appears in Sunderland Echo newspaper.
