Sunderland midfielder targeted by Premier League sides Fulham and Crystal Palace

Fulham, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest have all been linked with a strong interest in Sunderland midfielder Pierre Ekwah in January.

Sunderland are not looking to sell but that isn't preventing strong and increasing talk of interest in the central midfielder.

The Evening Standard report: "Crystal Palace and Fulham are interested in a January move for Sunderland midfielder Pierre Ekwah. The 21-year-old Frenchman left the West Ham academy to sign a four-and-a-half-year deal with Sunderland in January, and has since made 35 appearances for the Championship club."

What has the new Sunderland head coach said about the January transfer window?

Michael Beale says he has been told that there is scope to improve the Sunderland squad in January but says he does not want to make major changes.

"It wasn't essential for me to get guarantees on the window or anything like that, because I like the team we have," Beale said.

"I'm intrigued by one or two of the players who have been recruited where it's clear to me that there's more to come, so I want to get on the grass and see what they bring. I'll have a fuller judgement when I've been able to work with the players and see some games.

"It wasn't a big part of the discussions, me asking how much is there, what are we going to do and when. It was more about talking about the current squad and maximising on the investment that's already been made, knowing that - just because it came up as we were discussing all of this, there is room for us to do work in line with how we see it. And as much as you want to keep your best players, you never know what's around the corner and so you have to go through that process as well. We're always looking and having our lists compiled."