SIMON GRAYSON has confirmed Sunderland are in talks to sign former Everton striker James Vaughan as he searches for the “right men” to make his squad stronger.

The Black Cats boss, speaking after a comfortable 3-0 win at Livingston, is also closer to landing Aiden McGeady from Everton in a cut-price deal after productive talks over a contractual issue holding up the deal.

But it has also emerged Sunderland have made a £900,000 offer to Bury for Vaughan, who Grayson worked with at Huddersfield a few years ago.

Now the 28-year-old, who faced Sunderland at Gigg Lane last Friday night, is the subject of strong interest from Grayson and he has admitted that he is pushing for a deal.

Grayson said: “I know negotiations are going on between the two clubs but I am not sure what level it is at. He is a player I have worked with, again we have to bring bodies in and they have to be the right ones.

“Whether it is James Vaughan or anyone else we have been linked with, they have to be right and want to come for the right reasons. If we bring James Vaughan in it will be because we feel it is right for the club.”

Sunderland are in desperate need of extra firepower, despite winning comfortably at Livingston where Wahbi Khazri’s opener was followed by goals from Joel Asoro and Jeremain Lens.

Vaughan, 28, scored 24 goals during his first season with the Shakers in League One last season and would be interested in teaming up with Grayson again in the Championship.

Grayson is also on the verge of having McGeady in his ranks. His transfer business will not finish there. He said: “We are moving forward with quite a few new faces, over the next few days I would like to think we will get close to doing another couple of deals.

“After those I would like to think there will be another couple. I don’t really comment on individuals, but we will be moving forward very quickly.

“It’s part and parcel of dealing with the situation, if a player has a price on his head and he wants to leave here then it’s an opportunity, and we are bringing in players because we need to.

“We are moving along in the right areas until the start of the season, and anything can happen. Players might go out and that will mean we have to replace them. We will utilise them while they are here.”

Grayson fielded Brendan Galloway, who has already made the switch from the Toffees on loan, at the Tony Macaroni Stadium as he looked to build on Sunday’s draw with Hibernian after staying in the Edinburgh area.

There was no place for Vito Mannone after starting the first two matches of the summer, with Grayson insisting it was purely to give Mika and Max Stryjek some more action in goal and they shared the 90 minutes.

Lynden Gooch, playing as a lone striker again, initially saw a shot on the turn palmed away by goalkeeper Neil Alexander, who could do nothing about the second effort from Khazri that darted low inside the far corner.

There was an encouraging start from new signing Galloway down the left and one fine clearance from inside six yards, while John O’Shea slotted in at the back after playing the second half at Hibs and was solid enough alongside Papy Djilobodji.

But by and large it was a pretty uneventful opening period, with Khazri’s flashes of skill the only really bright spot. There were a couple of wayward efforts from Jack Rodwell too.

Grayson resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes at the break; only Lens was introduced at the expense of Billy Jones.

With quarter of an hour remaining Asoro made it two when he was on hand in the six-yard box to force the ball over the line after a keep mix-up.

There was still time in the dying seconds for Lens, who is still likely to leave this summer, to remind everyone of his quality with a stinging 25 yard drive to wrap up the result.

Grayson said: “Some players are feeling a bit leggy, but we are looking good going forward and we have to be harder to beat without the ball.

“We have to do better in keeping clean sheets like here, and if we can do that then we will have players in this team who can do damage at the other end of the pitch.

“We also have, hopefully, more players to come in. We do feel we have a threat going forward all way through, even with the younger ones. But we have to be determined to keep more clean sheets.”

LIVINGSTON: Alexander; Lithgow, Byrne, Pittman, Mullen, Jacobs, Mackin, Knox, De Vita, Halkett, Gallagher. Livingston subs used: Longridge, Maley, Peters, Hamilton, Mullin, Carrick, Todorov.

SUNDERLAND: Mika; Jones (Lens 46), Djilobodji, O’Shea, Galloway; Gibson, Rodwell, Ndong; Khazri, Love; Gooch.

SUNDERLAND subs used after 60 minutes: Stryjek (gk), Beadling, Kone, Ledger, Matthews; Cattermole, Embleton, Honeyman, Maja, Asoro. Sub (not used): E Robson.

SUNDERLAND’s development squad, meanwhile, will face Doncaster, Scunthorpe United and Grimsby Town in the Checkatrade Trophy.