Sunderland lodge bid for Palermo striker Abel Hernandez?

Sunderland have made a bid to sign Uruguayan striker Abel Hernandez from Palermo, but have received little encouragement from the Italian club, reports suggest.

The Black Cats contacted Palermo to request a season-long loan for Hernandez, though Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini wasted little time in rejecting their proposal, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

Gus Poyet is said to be keen on the 23-year-old, who helped his side win promotion back to the top flight last term, hitting the back of the net 14 times for Palermo in Serie B.

Hernandez also featured in this summer's World Cup with Uruguay, helping his nation to reach the last 16 stage of the tournament.

Poyet recently revealed that the club were close to signing some new players.