Sunderland have been linked to the Manchester United trio of Wes Brown, Darron Gibson and John O'Shea for some time now, and it seems as though Steve Bruce's attempts to bring them to the northeast are finally bearing fruit. Brown is understood to be very close to agreeing personal terms with the Black Cats and is in Sunderland for a medical, with O'Shea expected to follow his defensive partner to the Stadium of Light in short order.
The situation regarding Darron Gibson, meanwhile, is less clear - the Guardian reports that his wage demands are far higher than Bruce had anticipated, and Sunderland seem unwilling to match them as it stands. Bruce had agreed a transfer fee for the three with Sir Alex Ferguson, but it's not clear how much it'll cost the Black Cats should they only be able to secure Brown and O'Shea.
Although Sunderland have lost young midfielder Jordan Henderson, they've done an excellent job re-stocking the cabinet. Brown and O'Shea will add to a haul that already includes promising strikers Connor Wickham and Ji Don-Wong as well as former Birmingham City midfielder Craig Gardner.
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