SUNDERLAND face a frantic deadline day after having a fifth offer for striker Will Grigg rejected by Wigan Athletic.

The Black Cats, who are on the verge of landing skilful playmaker Lewis Morgan from Celtic and could lose Bryan Oviedo, have had a £1.25m bid with add-ons rejected by the Latics.

Now Sunderland are pursuing a number of front-men in the hope of landing at least one before Thursday’s 11pm deadline.

Gillingham’s Tom Eaves and Doncaster’s John Marquis are alternatives under consideration, while Sheffield United’s Ched Evans is another to have been linked, as well as Bristol City’s Matty Taylor.

The Northern Echo:

The Black Cats are known to have had one offer accepted for a striker and Bournemouth’s Sam Surridge has been considered.

It is Grigg who Sunderland have really wanted. They have also been credited with a loan move for Middlesbrough’s teenage forward Stephen Walker.

It has emerged the Scottish Premier League champions are one of the non-English clubs keen to take Oviedo away from the Stadium of Light, along with West Brom.

And the Costa Rican’s name has cropped up in the conversations between Glasgow and Wearside that have ended with Lewis Morgan arriving at Sunderland for a medical and a half season loan.

Oviedo has been identified as a strong contender to improve Brendan Rodgers’ left-back option for the remainder of the season because of a hip injury sustained by Kieran Teirney.

Sunderland manager Jack Ross and Rodgers have a good relationship and they are known to have discussed the full-back recently.

Oviedo has always been available if the right offer came along because of the high wages he earns relatively speaking to the third tier.

There are rivals for his signature, from home and abroad, but the possibility to join a title charge at Parkhead should appeal to Oviedo.

Oviedo joined from Everton in January 2017 before relegation from the Premier League, and has to move before tonight’s 11pm deadline.

Morgan is believed to have been in the North-East undergoing a medical ahead of his loan move, having decided he wants to team up with former St Mirren boss Ross again to try to celebrate going up again in May.

The 22-year-old has chosen to take on that challenge rather than head for Aberdeen and stay in Scotland, with Ross keen to improve Sunderland’s attacking options following the departure of Josh Maja to Bordeaux.

Ross is desperate to have Maja replaced because he was such a key component of the promotion push in the first half of the season.

Much-travelled former Premier League and Championship manager Ian Holloway thinks Maja might have made an error in leaving Sunderland too soon.

Maja, 20, decided against signing a new contract worth seven times his wage at the Stadium of Light in favour of heading to France to join Bordeaux in a £3.5m deal.

And Holloway fears it might not turn out to be the correct decision from the youngster, whose 15 goals had helped Sunderland sustain a promotion push in League One.

Holloway, speaking to Football League World, said: “I’m disappointed he’s left, to be honest, he was doing ever so well there.

“It looks as though they’ve cleared out all of the deadwood and sometimes a club needs to start again.

“Those supporters will always be there, they’re magnificent. They’ve had to put up with loads of stuff and they’d just got themselves a young, homegrown centre-forward and he decides to move straight away.

“It is disappointing, it is an occupational hazard if you’re a manager and you wonder whether they could have offered him something earlier but who knows.

“I think some of these young lads do sometimes move too early and if they could see where they might end up they’d stay where they’re being idolised because, eventually, they’re good enough to get there anyway. Who am I to tell him what to do, though.”