What Tony Mowbray said about Ross Stewart and the transfer latest at Sunderland

Tony Mowbray says he is hopeful that Sunderland don't sell Ross Stewart without securing a replacement as the club weigh up Southampton's strong interest in the striker.

There has been a growing feeling on Wearside over the last couple of days that the Saints will get to a bid that is satisfactory for the Black Cats, who have been unable to agree fresh terms with the Scot in the final year of his contract.

Sunderland were in the market for a new striker anyway, with Ukrainian forward Nazariy Rusyn a deal they have been pursuing for much of the summer.

The strong interest in Stewart at this stage of the window has raised the stakes even further.

As it stands Southampton are yet to agree a deal for the 27-year-old and the head coach said he genuinely wasn't sure whether that would change at some stage before Friday night.

"What I would suggest is that he can't be getting sold unless the knight in shining armour comes riding through the door," Mowbray said.

"I'd think and hope that would be the case. I'd think that we'd have a striker for the future if Ross did [leave], it's been a long time that we've been trying to get Ross to sign a new contract.

"Truthfully, I don't know what will happen with Ross. The scenario hasn't changed for me, he's either going to be here after Friday and hopefully fit in a few weeks ready to score some goals, or we take a huge bid for him and we spend all the money on strikers who are going to make the difference for us.

"That's football, the next one has to come in and score the goals and be the new hero.

"I don't know any numbers that might have been bid, if they are really good you would take the deal and spend the money? I think that's just common sense [from my perspective].

"And yet what I do know is that some of these players we look at and talk about, they are extremely overpriced and yet, isn't the whole market overpriced? I think that has trickled down from those £115 million deals in the Premier League."

Strikers aren't Sunderland's only potential areas of interest before the window closes, while Stewart isn't the only player attracting interest from other clubs.

Mowbray came to his press conference from the Academy of Light boardroom, where owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and sporting director Kristjaan Speakman are overseeing the final stages of the club's business.

The head coach is hopeful that will lead to some key breakthroughs before the window closes at 11pm on Friday night.

"I would like it to be busy," Mowbray said.

"Am I expecting it to be? I think so, I hope so.

"I've just left the boardroom there with the owner in, the sporting director in, with everybody who makes the decisions in. Everyone is grafting away. So let's hope it's a busy 36 hours ahead."