Sunderland will may have to sell players if they're going to be able to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window.

According to the Northern Echo, Phil Parkinson has been assured that there will be opportunities to strengthen his squad next month with the club already looking at a number of targets.

However with Financial Fair Play dictating the amount of business being done, it looks set to be a delicate balancing act.

The Black Cats have a number of players who are out of contract next summer, meaning that they could look to entertain offers for those players in an attempt to recoup a transfer fee before potentially losing them for nothing at the end of the season.

The reports claims that Luke O'Nien, Chris Maguire, Duncan Watmore, Jon McLaughlin, Alim Ozturk and Benji Kimpioka are among those who are out of contract next summer, and while it's not clear if those players are for sale, it's likely that this will depend on how likely they are to agree terms on a new contract between now and the end of the season.

Can you name the Sunderland XI from the 2014 League Cup final clash with Man City? Have a go!

 

It's thought that Stewart Donald is keen to back Phil Parkinson in the transfer market as he looks to build a squad that he feels is capable of closing the gap on the promotion spots.

However it appears that doing so in January will very much depend on who can be shipped out of the club.

The verdict

 The season certainly hasn't gone to plan for Sunderland but the hope is that January can be a month to get things back on track. Phil Parkinson will be keen to put his stamp on the squad however it seems that doing so will depend on how easy it will be to move players on. It could be a busy month for the Black Cats, but the only hope is that by February Parkinson has a squad which is capable of closing the gap on those in the promotion spots.