PHIL PARKINSON will make a midfield addition his number one priority in the final week of the transfer window, with Greg Docherty and Oliver Norburn still heading his list of targets.

Parkinson has also held discussions with Manchester United over teenager James Garner, with the Old Trafford club set to raid Sunderland’s youth ranks to land highly-rated 16-year-old Logan Pye.

Having recruited Kyle Lafferty and Bailey Wright this month, Parkinson remains keen to complete another couple of deals ahead of Friday’s deadline.

Lafferty’s arrival means a new forward is no longer regarded as essential, so Sunderland officials made no attempt to prevent long-term target Liam Boyce joining Scottish Premier League side Hearts at the weekend.

The midfield issue is much more pressing, and the Black Cats have made renewed contact with Rangers in an attempt to rekindle their interest in Docherty.

Rangers rejected Sunderland’s initial approach for the 23-year-old earlier this month as they felt the Wearsiders’ proposed contribution to Docherty’s wages was too small.

However, Rangers’ attempts to broker an alternative arrangement with either Charlton Athletic or Huddersfield Town have failed, prompting Sunderland’s recruitment team to return to the negotiating table.

The Black Cats are understood to be willing to shift their financial position slightly, although it remains to be seen whether that proves sufficient to pave the way for an agreement.

Docherty played for the full 90 minutes on Saturday as Rangers’ development team beat a Huddersfield XI 2-1, but Steven Gerrard remains keen to send him out on loan this week in an attempt to further his footballing development.

As well as making a renewed offer for Docherty, Parkinson remains interested in Norburn, who was part of the Shrewsbury squad that lined up against Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round yesterday.

There have been suggestions that Sunderland are willing to include out-of-favour forward Will Grigg in a possible deal for Norburn, although that would be dependent on the Northern Ireland international agreeing to move to Montgomery Waters Meadow for the remainder of the season.

Nothing has been agreed, and Parkinson is understood to prefer a straight cash offer for Norburn, who was part of the Shrewsbury team that beat Sunderland in October.

The Sunderland boss has also spelled out his interest in Garner to the Manchester United hierarchy, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still to decide whether to loan out the midfielder this month.

Garner, an 18-year-old who can play in central midfield or on the flank, has been a regular in Manchester United’s Under-23s set-up this season, but remains some way away from being a factor in Solskjaer’s Premier League squad.

His name was mentioned during discussions over Pye, with Manchester United hoping to beat off competition from a host of top-flight rivals as they look to sign the Sunderland youngster on a five-year deal.

Pye, a 16-year-old left-back who has represented England at Under-16s level, is set to become the latest talented youngster to be cherry-picked from Sunderland’s academy set-up in the last few years.

Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea have also been linked with the North-Easterner, who was valued at around the £500,000 mark when Manchester United first signalled their interest in the summer. Given the amount of interest this month, Sunderland would almost certainly look to hold out for a seven-figure fee.

The Black Cats return to action when they travel to Tranmere Rovers on Wednesday, with the weekend’s results having left them in sixth position in the League One table, six points adrift of new leaders Ipswich Town, who beat Lincoln City 1-0. The previous leaders, Rotherham United, were beaten 2-1 at Peterborough United.

Sunderland’s players were left frustrated in the wake of Friday’s goalless draw with Doncaster Rovers, but while the game at the Stadium of Light was something of a missed opportunity, it nevertheless extended the current unbeaten run to eight games.

It also featured the Black Cats’ third clean sheet in a row, a show of defensive solidity that stands in marked contrast to the fragility at the back that was apparent throughout much of the first half of the season.

“We’ve got the extra centre-back in there which helps shore things up at the back,” said skipper Jordan Willis. “But the main thing is everyone is working really hard, on and off the ball, that’s really helping us keeping those clean sheets. 

“Earlier in the season, there were a few minor errors causing goals, we seem to have erased those. There’s always luck in football, sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t, but I think we’re creating our own luck at the moment by working really hard and being solid defensively.

“If you can keep clean sheets, it gives you a great base to build off. We’ll keep working on both sides of the game, keep creating chances and hopefully score some more good goals.”

Willis played alongside Alim Ozturk and Joel Lynch at the heart of Sunderland’s backline on Friday, with Wright an unused substitute in the wake of his move from Bristol City. It would be harsh to leave out any of Friday’s defensive starters at Tranmere in two days’ time, but having pushed so hard to sign him, it will surely only be a matter of time before Parkinson looks to get Wright into the team.

“He’s a good addition,” said Willis. “It’s good and healthy to have competition. It’ll keep us on our toes, and if he gets a chance, I’m sure he’ll take it.”