CHRIS COLEMAN is considering an 18-month loan request to help with Sunderland’s bid to secure the services of Derby County striker Chris Martin.

The Black Cats have been battling with Reading to get a deal done for the Rams frontman, while Norwich City have also expressed an interest in taking him back to Carrow Road.

But Sunderland and the Royals are leading the chase and Coleman has hoped that a temporary agreement could be reached for the rest of the season.

Derby, however, want more security than that if they are not able to sell him on a permanent basis. If a loan arrangement can made to run until the end of next season then the Scotland international would have just one more year remaining on the deal he signed last January.

Reading have not ruled out a fresh offer, while Sunderland were last night considering their next move.

Coleman is desperate to add some firepower to his squad and wants to bring in the experience to help younger players Joel Asoro and Josh Maja shine.

The teenagers are enjoying a run in the first team and Asoro struck the winner against Hull City on Saturday when Sunderland moved level on points with the the fourth-bottom Tigers.

Martin has a proven track record at Championship level despite struggling to hold down a first-team place this season. He has not started a game since December 9 and Cameron Jerome’s arrival has paved the way for his exit.

Coleman has struggled to bring players so far, having suffered frustration last week when told Liverpool were not willing to let Ben Woodburn go this month.

Another target, Burnley’s Jon Walters, saw a potential switch to the Stadium of Light collapse because of injury.

Sunderland are interested in Bournemouth’s young American midfielder Emerson Hyndman, while a link with Rangers’ 21-year-old defender David Bates has emerged.

Coleman insists his targets want to come and that deals have not happened for other reasons.

Sunderland have only managed to bring in one new face so far and Jake Clarke-Salter has started his first two games since arriving from Chelsea. After the crushing 4-0 defeat at Cardiff, he helped to keep a clean sheet against Hull.

Coleman said: “Jake’s been good. He made one or two little errors but that’s only his second game in two months. He’s short of match practice but he’s not short of personality, determination, he means his defending.

“He’s been a real boost for us to have him because we lost Marc Wilson. We have three centre-halves there, Wilson, Tyias Browning and John O’Shea. Billy Jones can play there at a push but we needed to bring one in.

“There is a good balance and they’ve found a bit of togetherness and unity as well off the training pitch. We needed it. One or two moments we could have done better defensively, and it was straight off the training pitch which disappointed me a little bit.

“But I am being a bit harsh on them because they dug in and got a clean sheet and that’s five clean sheets in 11 games, that’s not bad.”

Sunderland are still waiting for Jack Rodwell to move from Wearside.

Scottish champions Celtic have been regularly linked.

The 26-year-old has had an awful six years since leaving Everton for Manchester City and then moving on to Sunderland, but Coleman would like to have the player's £70,000-a-week wage off the pay-roll to help his own squad strengthening plans.

Rodwell has been told he can leave but he does not seem prepared to exit until he has something lined up.