Sunderland poised to improve bid for Cheltenham Town striker Mo Eisa

The Black Cats had a £1million bid rejected for the 24-year-old forward earlier this week but the Echo understands Sunderland will go back in for Eisa.

The improved offer may include more money up front in a bid to tempt the League Two side.

Peterborough United and Portsmouth have also had bids rejected, with a Championship club also monitoring the situation.

Sunderland are in desperate need of strikers, and a £600,000 bid for Bradford City frontman Charlie Wyke remains on the table.

Eisa (pictured) was an unused substitute last night in Cheltenham’s friendly win at Evesham United and boss Gary Johnson was giving little away on the striker’s future.

Johnson said: “There are always things going on, but I can’t go into anything right now. He’s not injured and we are looking after him, but that’s all I can tell you.”

Efforts to add to the midfield have been more successful after a bid for George Evans, believed to be around £700,000, was accepted with just personal terms left to agree.

The midfielder is currently in Austria on Reading’s pre-season training camp, with the squad due to arrive back home on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Wigan Athletic could reignite their interest in old-boy Callum McManaman after missing out on the loan signing of Norwich City’s Yanic Wildschut, who has joined Bolton on loan.

That could see the Championship side refocus their attentions on McManaman, one of the star performers in pre-season.

He is still immensely popular at the DW Stadium after bursting onto the scene during the FA Cup winning run in 2013.

Wigan boss Paul Cook has previously admitted he was keen on both wingers McManaman and Wildschut.

In terms of incomings, both Sunderland boss Jack Ross and owner Stewart Donald hope to have new faces in the Sunderland squad prior to tomorrow’s friendly at St Mirren.

One player who won’t be arriving on Wearside is Sheffield United winger Ricky Holmes. The 31-year-old had been linked with a move but the Echo understands he is not a target.

With just two pre-season games remaining – against St Mirren and next Friday at Middlesbrough – before the League One season-opener against Charlton, Donald admits he wants the rest of the signings in place quickly. Ideally three strikers, a midfielder and two defenders.

Donald said: “I’ve said I’d like three in for Saturday and three in for next week as you want to start getting them into the team as when you play Charlton you may have decent players but they won’t have played together and you want to hit the ground running.

“But I appreciate, for Jack, it’s a jigsaw. It’s players out, players in and managing that. There’s talk that we can’t spend any fees until we get players out – well, we can, but we’ve got to be sensible.

“If we sign eight players and don’t get rid of any it puts us above what the EFL will say we should be spending. It’s a balancing act,” he told the Roker Rapport podcast.

Donald has confirmed that Peterborough defender Jack Baldwin is on Jack Ross’s long list of defensive targets.

The 24-year-old has been made available for transfer, with the League One outfit keen to cash in on their skipper, who they signed for £500,000 from Hartlepool United in January 2014.

“He’s on the list,” said Donald. “There’s about 10 defenders on the list. Jack will have them in order and we’ll work through them. He’s a name on the list.” He is valued at around £200,000.