Black Cats closing in on a deal for Dunne; BLACK CATS CLOSING IN ON DEAL FOR DUNNE.

Byline: Mark Douglas 

SUNDERLAND hope to make significant progress in their bid for Richard Dunne this weekend as Manchester City close in on a big-money replacement in Joleon Lescott.

The Black Cats are yet to table a formal offer for the Manchester City skipper and are embroiled in a complex game of brinkmanship with the Citizens and Everton, who did not want to lose England defender Lescott.

But The Journal understands that City are confident of making progress on the Lescott deal by the middle of next week - giving Sunderland the green light to formalise their interest in Republic of Ireland defender Dunne.

City have insisted, off-the-record at least, that Sunderland have not made a bid for Dunne, but both the club and the player are aware of new Black Cats boss Steve Bruce's interest - and a deal could be completed quickly if the Eastlands captain is made available.

That will only happen if City can secure Lescott or another big-name defender to replace their reliable and long-serving centre-back.

A leading football figure in the North West told The Journal that City are "increasingly confident" of brokering a deal for the player - despite Everton's defiant "not for sale" stance.

Although the Black Cats have other defensive targets, Dunne is at the head of the list and the influence of chairman Niall Quinn would be a key factor in bringing the 29-year-old to the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland may edge ahead of rivals Spurs and Stoke in the race for Dunne because the Black Cats are prepared to offer him the long-term contract he is seeking.

And if Dean Whitehead departs the Stadium of Light, Dunne would be a leading candidate to become the Black Cats' club captain. Bruce formally returns to work on Tuesday and he hopes to make quick progress on the recruitment front when he does finally get his feet under the desk. But it has emerged that he will face strong resistance from Wigan in his attempts to sign Lee Cattermole and Titus Bramble. Although both players would favour a reunion with their old boss, Latics chairman Dave Whelan has already slapped a hands off warning on England Under-21 midfielder Cattermole . And he will not look favourably on a bid for Bramble either, with Wigan set to make the defender club captain in a bid to keep him at the DW Stadium .

Even from his sun lounger, Bruce has been keeping in close touch with chairman Quinn regarding signings and is looking forward to the start of the pre-season campaign. Sunderland kick off with a short trip to Darlington on July 16 before travelling to Amsterdam to play European giants Benfica and Atltico Madrid, and then head for Scotland to face Celtic. "It's a challenging schedule, but we've got some mouth-watering games to look forward to," Bruce said. "It's a great honour to be involved in the famous Amsterdam Tournament and, of course, games in Scotland are always tough. "The games we have chosen are very competitive, but pre-season is all about the right preparation and these games will stand us in good stead for the start of the season and the challenges of the Premier League."

Meanwhile, Sunderland have been spared the prospect of a reunion with former striker Djibril Ciss, who has joined Greek side Panathinaikos on a four-year contract. In stark contrast to the way his loan spell in Wearside petered out, his arrival in Athens was marked by a crowd of more than 2,500 fans greeting him at the airport. Although Tottenham were credited with an interest in the former Liverpool front man, he opted for a move to Panathinaikos and the promise of European football - becoming the club's highest-paid player in the process.

CAPTION(S):

DUNNE DEAL? Manchester City's Richard Dunne with Kenwyne Jones.