SUNDERLAND are continuing to monitor Senegal international Papiss Cisse as they begin to finalise a list of attacking targets ahead of the January transfer window.

With the Black Cats having banked a £6m loan fee for Asamoah Gyan in September, Steve Bruce has been promised significant funds with which to strengthen his forward line at the turn of the year.

The Sunderland boss has been monitoring a number of different strikers, but having previously pursued Cisse in the summer, is keeping particularly close tabs on the African.

A senior Sunderland scouting delegation has watched Cisse play for his German club side, Freiburg, on at least one occasion already this season, and a renewed approach is expected once the transfer window reopens.

However, Cisse's sparkling form could hamper the Wearsiders' chances of landing the 26-year-old, who is now interesting a number of Champions League clubs on the continent.

Cisse has scored seven goals in his ten Bundesliga outings to date, even though Freiburg are rooted to the foot of the table having claimed just two victories.

He is rapidly becoming one of the hottest properties on the continent, a situation which could make it difficult for both Sunderland and Newcastle, who have also been monitoring his recent performances, to lure him to the Premier League without the promise of European football.

Newcastle discussed a possible £10m offer with Freiburg officials in the summer, but Cisse's price tag is set to be even higher than that following an impressive start to the campaign.

Whether Bruce is willing to commit an eight-figure fee to his capture remains to be seen, but the Sunderland boss still has some of the funds from Darren Bent's £24m departure in January at his disposal.

Bent will make his first return to the Stadium of Light with Aston Villa on Saturday, and while Bruce insists he will not be giving the striker's appearance undue prominence in his planning, he admits the England international passed up the chance to be a Sunderland legend when he agitated for a move.

"Darren did fantastically well and no one can deny that," said Bruce. "His goalscoring record here was quite staggering and I think you could argue that the goals he gave Aston Villa when he left us last season probably kept them up.

"He could have been, in my opinion, one of the greats of Sunderland, and I'm talking about up there with the very best goalscorers in the club's history, if he had hung around. He would have broken a lot of records.

"But that didn't happen and it's gone now, it's finished, it's history and we all have to move on.

"As far as I'm concerned, the overriding thing is to focus on Aston Villa and not get sidetracked by the sideshow of Darren Bent's return to the club."

* Sunderland reserves' derby game with Newcastle has been put back 24 hours to Wednesday, November 16 (7pm). The game will still take place at the Stadium of Light.