SUNDERLAND are hoping to complete a £1.6m double deal for strikers Mohamed Eisa and Charlie Wyke after tabling formal offers for the duo tonight.

With Wahbi Khazri’s move to French club St Etienne having been signed off by the Ligue 1 club, Sunderland officials wasted no time in moving on Jack Ross’ two leading attacking targets.

They have tabled a £1m offer for Cheltenham Town striker Eisa, who scored 25 goals for the League Two club last season.

They have also lodged a £600,000 bid for Bradford City striker Wyke, who is also the subject of strong interest from Bolton Wanderers and Peterborough United.

Peterborough have also bid for Eisa, but Cheltenham officials rejected offers from both Posh and their League One rivals, Portsmouth, last week.

Portsmouth are understood to have made three separate offers – all of which were under £1m – while Peterborough are believed to have offered £1m spread over a number of payments.

Sunderland’s offer is much more lucrative in terms of an up-front fee, and it is hoped Cheltenham will agree to a deal in the next 24 hours.

The Black Cats return to action in a pre-season game at League Two side Grimsby Town tomorrow, and in an ideal world, Eisa will arrive on Wearside to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical prior to Sunderland’s squad departing for Blundell Park.

Ross is also hoping to sign Wyke, and having had an initial offer turned down over the weekend, the Black Cats returned to the negotiating table with an improved bid of £600,000.

Bradford officials had previously suggested they would accept something close to that figure, with Wyke having entered the final year of his current contract at Valley Parade.

The Bantams have offered the former Middlesbrough trainee a new deal, but Wyke is keen to move on to further his career. Bradford today agreed a loan deal with Boro for forward George Miller, who would help replace Wyke in the event of him moving on.

Bolton Wanderers have also made a formal approach, although the Championship club have been unable to agree a deal with Bradford.

Wyke began his career in Middlesbrough’s Rockliffe Park youth set-up, but left Teesside without having made a senior appearance for the club. Now 25, he spent two years with Carlisle United, and scored 15 goals in 40 League One outings for Bradford last season, having joined the club for £250,000.

Sunderland are also hoping to push through a deal for Reading midfielder George Evans, who was the subject of a £250,000 offer at the weekend.

Reading are willing to allow Evans to leave, but the midfielder’s situation has been complicated by his inclusion in the Royals squad that travelled to Austria for a pre-season training camp. Reading are also keen to secure a replacement before they sign off on a deal.

Evans began his career in Manchester City’s academy, and had loan spells at Crewe, Walsall and Scunthorpe before joining Reading in January 2016.

He was heavily involved in Reading’s run to the play-off final under Jaap Stam two seasons ago, but slipped down the pecking order last term, making just 18 appearances in the Championship.

As well as looking to make further additions, Sunderland owner Stewart Donald has also spent the last few days trying to engineer some much-needed departures from the Stadium of Light.

Khazri’s move to St Etienne should be formally confirmed in the next 24 hours, with the Tunisia international having finally agreed a financial package with the French club.

There has also been progress with Didier Ndong, who failed to return to pre-season training amid interest from a number of continental clubs.

However, Sunderland are still struggling to find a buyer for Papy Djilobodji, with the former Chelsea defender also having refused to return to Wearside earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Sunderland have been placed in a Checkatrade Trophy group with Carlisle and Morecambe, and an Under-21 team from either Everton, Leicester, Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Stoke, West Brom or Wolves. The identity of their Under-21 opposition will be revealed at a draw on Wednesday.