Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has admitted he will have to play a waiting game as he attempts to push home the club's interest in Preston striker David Nugent.
Reports yesterday suggested the 22-year-old had agreed a £6million move to the Stadium of Light.
However, while Quinn confirmed the Wearsiders have made their interest known, he insists they are not the only ones and that he does not expect any progress until Nugent returns from international duty at the European Under-21 Championships in Holland.
He said: ‘It was a surprise to us the way the story broke out yesterday. As far as we were concerned, the last time we spoke to Preston, he had a very important tournament with the England Under-21s.
‘It is a waiting game until that tournament is over, but I suppose our interest in him - as with three or four other clubs - is pretty well known at this stage.’
The Black Cats are being linked with a growing list of potential targets with manager Roy Keane having launched his spending spree with a £3million swoop for Reading defender Greg Halford earlier this week.
Keane's former Manchester United colleagues Paul Scholes, Alan Smith, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Nicky Butt are among the names to have been thrown up by the rumour mill, although Quinn admits the recruitment process will be long and drawn-out.
He said: ‘We are trying very hard, but the type of player we are trying to bring in does not come cheap. We are still in there, trying very hard for the ideal player Roy Keane wants.
‘We will do everything we possibly can to bring in the type of player we believe will make Sunderland a better club. It is not straightforward, it is very hard work, but we are getting places and hope to have a little bit of news soon.’
Sunderland were this morning handed an opening day home clash with Tottenham with which to launch their latest Barclays Premier League campaign, while Keane will return to Old Trafford as a manager for the first time on September 1.
But perhaps the two most eagerly-anticipated games when the fixture list was published were the visit of arch-rivals Newcastle to the Stadium of Light on November 10, with the return taking place at St James' Park on April 19 next year.
