Sunerland are hoping to retain the services of defenders Alan Hutton and John Mensah. Boss Steve Bruce has made no secret of his admiration for both players and chairman Niall Quinn and chief executive Steve Walton revealed on Friday the Black Cats will pursue their interest in both men during a webchat with fans on the club's official website.

Asked about Hutton, Quinn said: "We have been happy with Alan. I sat down with him this morning and was delighted to hear his desire to come permanently to SAFC.

"I now have to contact [Spurs' executive chairman] Daniel Levy to see if this is possible."

On the subject of Mensah, Walton replied: "John's a really tough one.

"He wants to stay, we want him to stay and I'm hoping to visit Lyon shortly to try and strike a deal for another year.

"But the original proposal cannot be accepted. Watch this space."

Walton, who also confirmed the club is working on a deal to bring Paraguayan midfielder Christian Riveros to Wearside, insisted there will be no high-profile departures from the Stadium of Light this summer.

He said: "There is no way we will sell any of our top players, except for crazy money. It's about getting better every year, not going backwards."