SUNDERLAND

Three in – and plenty more to come. Sunderland’s summer rebuilding job has begun in earnest.

Goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin and attacking midfielder Chris Maguire joined the ranks yesterday, following in the footsteps of Turkish defender Alim Ozturk, who arrived as a free agent last week.

By the end of the summer, the Black Cats could well have signed up to a dozen new players, and with pre-season training due to begin tomorrow, Jack Ross is keen to make further progress in the next few days.

Sunderland are still awaiting a response from AFC Wimbledon striker Lyle Taylor, having offered him a deal on Wearside last week.

The Northern Echo: TAYLOR-MADE OPPORTUNITY: Wimbledon striker Lyle Taylor, pictured celebrating a goal for Partick Thistle earlier this year, will be out to impress against former boss Russ Wilcox tomorrow

Taylor is set to reject an offer to remain with Wimbledon, but Sunderland are not the only club to have offered him a contract. Bristol Rovers, Southend, Peterborough and Burton have also held talks with Taylor and his representatives.

Sunderland have also made a contract offer to Scottish midfielder Dylan McGeouch, but again, the club are awaiting a response from a player with a number of different options on the table.

McGeouch’s current contract with Hibernian expires at the end of the month, and Ross is pushing hard to acquire his services.

However, McGeouch has been offered the opportunity to stay in the Scottish Premier League with Aberdeen, and has also held discussions with newly-promoted Championship clubs Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic.

Ross is keen to run the rule over a number of Sunderland’s younger players once pre-season begins, with 20-year-old forward Andrew Nelson well and truly on his radar.

Nelson spent the second half of last season on loan at Falkirk, and scored four goals in 12 appearances in the Scottish Championship.


MIDDLESBROUGH

Middlesbrough’s £5m signing of Paddy McNair will be confirmed later this morning, with the Northern Irish midfielder having passed a medical at Rockliffe Park yesterday.

McNair’s chequered injury record meant Boro were determined to conduct a thorough medical examination, but the 23-year-old passed with flying colours.

He is Tony Pulis’ first summer signing, and was targeted because of his ability to break into the opposition box and provide a goalscoring threat from midfield.

The Northern Echo: Paddy McNair is set to return for Northern Ireland

As well as pushing through the McNair deal in the last few days, Boro have also been aware of mounting speculation linking Nottingham Forest with a number of their players.

Forest boss Aitor Karanka knows the Boro squad well from his time at the Riverside, and has been linked with potential moves for Patrick Bamford, Adam Clayton and Fabio Da Silva.

Boro have not received a bid for any of their players, but there is an expectation that Forest could firm up their interest in Bamford in particular at some stage.


NEWCASTLE

Mikel Merino’s time at Newcastle appears to be drawing to an end, with Spanish side Real Sociedead poised to trigger a €12m release clause in his contract.

Merino’s representatives insisted on the inclusion of such a clause when they thrashed out the details of their client’s move to St James’ Park last summer, and Newcastle officials agreed as they wanted a similar clause in the midfielder’s initial loan enabling them to complete a permanent deal of their own.

Newcastle paid around £8m to sign Merino from Borussia Dortmund, so will make a small profit if, as now looks likely, Merino moves to La Liga.

The Northern Echo: Newcastle United's Mikel Merino celebrates scoring his side's first goal of the game during the Premier League match at St James' Park, Newcastle. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday October 21, 2017. See PA story SOCCER Newcastle.

A number of sides have expressed an interest in his services, with Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao both having held discussions with Newcastle officials, but sources in Spain claim Merino has indicated that he would prefer to join Real Sociedad.

His departure will leave the Magpies somewhat light at the heart of midfield, with Isaac Hayden the only real alternative to Rafael Benitez’s first-choice pairing of Jonjo Shelvey and Mo Diame.

Newcastle have been linked with a possible move for Ruben Loftus-Cheek, but Chelsea do not want to sell the England international, who spent last season on loan at Crystal Palace.

The Magpies will continue to monitor the situation closely, in the hope that Chelsea could agree to another loan deal for Loftus-Cheek at the end of the transfer window.


OTHER CLUBS

Paris St Germain have reportedly offered Marco Verratti plus cash to Manchester United to bag Paul Pogba. The Sun reports that the French champions have enquired about the availability of midfielder Pogba, and would be prepared to consider moving on Italy international Verratti if they could bring in Pogba as part of the deal.

It is not clear whether United have any interest in selling their club-record signing, the paper adds.

West Ham have had their £12m bid for West Brom defender Craig Dawson turned down, the Daily Telegraph reports. The paper says Dawson is a target for a number of Premier League clubs, with Albion understood to be rating the 28-year-old at more than £20m. West Ham are said to be considering whether to make an improved offer.

The Northern Echo: Craig Dawson - Wigan and Wanderers vying for his services

Manchester United are eyeing up a move for Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic, according to the Daily Mail. The 24-year-old is unhappy with the amount of game time he has received at Madrid following his move from Inter Milan in 2015 and is keen to leave, the paper says. United are said to be on the hunt for a new midfielder, but Madrid could be reluctant to sell.

Eden Hazard is reportedly willing to reject a £340,000-a-week pay offer from Chelsea to join Real Madrid. The Sun says reports in Spain suggest the Belgium winger is ready to move on from Stamford Bridge and willing to turn down a bumper new contract in West London.