One in, one out: How the final hours of transfer deadline day could unfold for Sunderland as thing stand

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Sunderland are looking to conclude some late transfer business

Tommy Watson is increasingly likely to stay at Sunderland beyond the end of the transfer window after the Black Cats turned down Brighton's latest offer.

The two clubs have been in dialogue since the Premier League club revived their longstanding interest in the 18-year-old winger late last week, and have put an offer on the table that could be worth well in excess of £10 million if all add-on clauses were triggered. They have not fully reached Sunderland's valuation and crucially, the Black Cats have up until this point made no breakthrough on a replacement. Sunderland held an interest in Brighton winger Simon Adingra, but have not made any progress on a deal that is now seen as very unlikely. They have also approached Leicester City about a potential move for attacking midfielder Kasey McAteer, who can play off both flanks. However, Leicester have made clear that at this stage they have no intention of letting the 23-year-old leave.

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That has made Sunderland increasingly reluctant to sanction Watson's departure, with Régis Le Bris making clear last week that the club wanted to go into the final weeks of the window with two wingers for each flank.

"If Tommy did leave, we have to replace him," Le Bris said.

"We need two wingers on each flank, this is a better balance. Enzo can play here but only because we don't have others available at the moment."

Watson has 18 months left on his current contract and appears highly unlikely to sign a new deal, and so there is an acceptance that another massive bid from Brighton between now and the 11pm deadline could force a change of stance from the Black Cats. So too could an unexpected breakthrough with one of Sunderland's targets. At the moment, though, Sunderland's view is that Watson has too important a role to play between now and end of the season and that he would still command a significant fee in the summer if he doesn't sign a new deal.

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Sunderland are expected to conclude one incoming deal before the 11pm deadline at this stage, with Liverpool youngster Jayden Danns putting the final touches to a loan move. Danns will sign until the end of the campaign and offer extra competition for Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda.

There could be further outgoings, with Sunderland searching for the right clubs for many of their fringe players, including Abdoullah Ba. According to L’Equipe, Ba is set to join Ligue 2 side USL Dunkerque on a loan until the end of the season.

"There has been a lot of interest in Abdoullah, but nothing is done yet," Le Bris said last Friday.

"It could be a loan to get him some game time but it depends on the proposition, he could leave permanently. We'll see."

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