SUNDERLAND have been encouraged to make a tempting bid for midfielder John McGinn after Neil Lennon claimed such a development would put Hibernian in a “difficult position”.

McGinn is due to enter the final 12 months of his deal at Easter Road and the Black Cats are known to be keen to sign him this summer.

Hibernian have a valuation of around the £3m mark for the Scotland international and Sunderland manager Jack Ross will be looking at how much to offer in the not-too-distant future.

Ross will be given financial backing to tinker with his squad and the extent of that will be determined by the number of players who move on; with a number already attracting offers.

McGinn is one of the most sought after midfielders north of the border and Sunderland will have to move quickly to sign him otherwise they will run the risk of offers from higher divisions.

And Hibernian manager Lennon said: “John’s got a year left on his contract and that puts us in a difficult position, but we’ll see what the future brings — we can’t predict what’s going to happen. If we can’t keep key players then we look to build again.”

Ross is looking to bring his own players in to fill a variety of positions, knowing this summer should be one of huge change even if he has been told he does not need to offload.

Nevertheless change is likely after a different owner and manager has been introduced at the Stadium of Light since the end of the season.

Paddy McNair is the man most likely to be sold at a reasonable price. The Northern Ireland international, who has hinted he would like a return to the Premier League, has been the subject of two offers from Brighton.

The Seagulls have had £2m and £3.75m turned down and now they are preparing a £5m bid for his services. There are also a number of Championship clubs keen to sign him too, with Reading showing an interest.

The Royals, now managed by Paul Clement, is already on the verge of signing John O’Shea on a 12 months contract after learning Sunderland were not looking to extend his contract by 12 months.

O’Shea will be doing what he can to persuade McNair the right move could be Reading, although the prospect of playing in the Premier League after last season’s ill-fated Championship year is likely to weigh heavily on his mind.

McNair is also wanted by Derby, Norwich and Stoke City, while there has been a link to Middlesbrough within the last 24 hours but that has not been confirmed on Teesside.

Rennes have refused to give up on signing Wahbi Khazri on a permanent basis too. The Tunisian has put talks about his future on hold until after the World Cup but that has not stopped the French club from offering him a three-year deal.

Khazri is available this summer and has requested a free transfer in the hope of securing a bigger move somewhere, but Sunderland will be looking for £5m. He does not want to play in League One and is believed to have offers from Turkey too.