WEST HAM United striker Diafra Sakho has featured prominently on Sam Allardyce’s attacking wishlist this summer, but the Sunderland boss is not pinning all of his hopes on one target.

Allardyce is keen to bolster his attacking options and his contacts have recommended a number of possible candidates.

Those have included both Swansea City striker Bafetimibi Gomis and Sakho, two who have been admired by the Sunderland boss for years because of his links to the French league.

The Hammers’ Sakho, who Allardyce signed two summers ago for just £4m, would fit into the age bracket he would prefer to dip into, but a £15m valuation seems excessive.

The Senegal international has shown he has the ability to shine on the Premier League and West Ham boss Slaven Bilic is prepared to listen to offers because he wants to take the club in a new direction.

That has alerted Allardyce, although if Sunderland are to be successful in their pursuit of the 26-year-old then there will have to be some significant bargaining done for the clubs to reach an agreement on a deal.

The Sunderland manager has been assured he has money to spend in a bid to avoid a repeat of the relegation struggles of the last few years. Ellis Short, the club’s American owner, does not want to overspend after a few years of battling to prevent debts from increasing.

Gomis, 30, is a slightly older option albeit a less expensive one. Swansea are still seeking a fee in the region of around the £8m mark, although Sunderland would also be looking to do something cheaper for that to happen. His wages could pose a problem too.

Sakho moved from Metz two summers ago, scoring 12 goals in his first 26 matches. Last season he only hit seven in his 24 outings and Bilic’s push for players like Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette has highlighted why he could move on.

Sunderland could yet be boosted by an increase in transfer funds for Italian winger Emanuele Giaccherini after he outlined a wish to stay away from Wearside.

Giaccherini was confirmed in the Italy squad for the European Championships and is keen to stay at Bologna after he successfully revived his career following a frustrating time in the North-East.

He still has a further year remaining on the contract he signed when he joined from Juventus three years ago. He managed just five goals in 43 appearances during that time, while he hit seven times in 28 Serie A matches last season.

Sunderland are unlikely to want a huge fee for a player with just 12 months remaining on his contract but they could strike another loan deal worth around £2m or reach an agreement over the rest of his contract.