Steve Bruce is hoping to make Marseille captain Lorik Cana his third signing for Sunderland after admitting the Albania international is "right up his street".
Cana, who turns 26 on Monday, is expected to fly to Holland, where Sunderland are competing in the Amsterdam tournament, for talks with Bruce ahead of tonight's clash with Benfica.
The former Wigan boss, who missed out on a deal to sign Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch earlier this week, told the Sunderland Echo: "He is captain of Marseille and captain of his country - he's right up our street."
He added: "I hate talking about other club's players until things are all signed and delivered - you just have to look at what happened with the Peter Crouch deal.
"So we'll just sit down with the lad and see how things progress."
Should he sign this weekend - Sunderland have made arrangements for a medical in Amsterdam - it is thought Cana, who was born in Kosovo, would cost in the region of £6million.
Bruce is also in the market for a new striker with Bordeaux's Marouane Chamakh and Tottenham's England international Darren Bent high on the list of six players he targeted when he took over.
He added: "I had six people in mind. I have lost one of them, so I have had to look elsewhere in that sense, but generally I haven't wavered too much on the people I was after.
"There is progress being made on transfers - the work going on behind the scenes is incredible. But it is a long, drawn-out process and the situation we find ourselves in is normal.
"Yes, it would be lovely to have all my signings concluded by now, but that hasn't happened so far and it is a case of keeping a cool head because I know this club and what we are trying to do with it will be an attraction."
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