SUNDERLAND have tabled an improved offer for Bradford City striker Charlie Wyke, and are also chasing another attacking target after admitting defeat in their pursuit of Mohamed Eisa.

Jack Ross watched his Black Cats side step up their pre-season programme with an impressive 6-0 win at his former club, St Mirren, yesterday, but as well as overseeing his players’ preparations, the Sunderland boss has also been working with Stewart Donald to pursue potential signings.

Eisa was removed from the club’s wanted list when Bristol City entered the race for his signature. Sunderland were reluctant to meet Cheltenham’s £1.5m asking price for the Sudanese striker, and accepted they would struggle to persuade Eisa to move to Wearside once a Championship club made a move.

They continue to have a strong interest in Wyke though, even though the Bradford striker is nursing a minor injury sustained in the Bantams’ friendly defeat to Sheffield United last week.

Having had an initial offer of £600,000 rejected, Sunderland officials returned to the table with an improved bid over the weekend.

Their latest offer is understood to be around £1m, and they will push the Bradford hierarchy for a response within the next 24 hours. Sunderland take on Middlesbrough in their final friendly on Friday, with their opening League One game against Charlton Athletic coming just eight days later.

Wyke will not be signing a new contract at Valley Parade, and while Bolton Wanderers have also expressed an interest in the former Middlesbrough trainee, Sunderland remain hopeful of being able to strike a deal.

They have also been assessing a number of other attacking options, and with Ross determined to sign at least two new centre-forwards before the transfer window closes, Donald sanctioned a formal offer for another striker at the weekend.

That striker is not Aston Villa’s Ross McCormack, despite reports linking Sunderland with a loan move for the 31-year-old. The Black Cats looked at signing McCormack in January, but felt his wage demands meant they would be paying over the odds. That situation has not changed despite Villa’s increased desire to move McCormack on.

“I would think (there will be signings before Friday), but time does run away from you,” said Ross, who completed the capture of Glen Loovens on Friday. “I’d be very hopeful of getting some reinforcements before Boro.

“I’m very conscious of getting the right ones. We could have signed bodies before now, but it would have been for the sake of it. Hopefully, we’ll have more bodies in before the Middlesbrough game.”

Sunderland have agreed a deal for George Evans, but the Reading midfielder is stalling on a move to the Stadium of Light in the hope of securing a deal with a club in the Championship. Derby County have been heavily linked with the 23-year-old, but are yet to table an acceptable offer.

“Evans, I think, is agreed between the club, but that comes down to the player,” said Ross. “Wyke is ongoing, he’s injured at the moment anyway. Stewart, to be fair to him, is very, very eager to bring players in, and he gets a bit impatient with it, but we’ll be fine. We’ll be all right.”

Saturday’s performance at St Mirren represented a marked step forward from Sunderland’s previous pre-season displays, with Josh Maja, who led the line as a central striker, opening the scoring midway through the first half.

Lynden Gooch doubled the Black Cats’ lead from the penalty spot after he had been fouled, and netted again at the start of the second half.

Maja scored his second goal after he was released by a long pass out of defence, and set up George Honeyman for Sunderland’s fifth goal. The rout was completed when substitute Luke Molyneux netted late on.

Sunderland: McLaughlin; Love (Hume 80), Matthews, Ozturk (Taylor 84), Flanagan; Cattermole (Mumba 74); Honeyman (Kimpioka 84), McGeouch (Hackett 84), Goock (Molyneux 78), Maguire; Maja.