Sunderland manager Steve Bruce says that strikers Daryl Murphy and David Healy will not be allowed to leave the Black Cats in the foreseeable future. Murphy is a long-time target of Town, while Healy has been linked with the Blues on a number of occasions this summer.
Bruce says his squad has been hit by injuries and he needs the duo to remain on Wearside as cover: "We haven't got a lot of players to choose from right now.
"So David Healy is staying at Sunderland, so is Daryl Murphy for the next two or three months at least because the numbers we have to call on is small, in that respect.
"I took a decision - I wouldn't call it a gamble - that the money we were offered for some of our squad players was too good to turn down. But, as things stand now, we really can't let any more go."