MARTIN O’Neill has dropped a huge hint Sunderland will look to strike a deal for former Everton midfielder Tim Cahill after admitting he is open to short-term loan deals this January.

The Black Cats boss admits he is not in a position to strike any quick deals this month but he is in the market for players – with the emphasis clearly on the plural.

Anyone he spends money on, though, will have to be a player with the potential to improve and offer Sunderland value for money in the long-term.

O’Neill allowed striker Ji Dong-Won to join Augsburg on loan yesterday and has accepted a £1.5million bid from Hull for midfielder David Meyler. However, it is incomings Black Cats fans will be most interested in.

Cahill, who is 33 and moved to the New York Red Bulls in the summer, does not offer a long-term fix for Sunderland.

However, he would be a major boost to O’Neill’s midfield options in the short-term. The Wearsiders have held productive talks with the MLS club.

Cahill is apparently keen on a deal which would extend until February before the player returned to America for the start of a new season across the Atlantic. Such a deal is a situation the Black Cats boss would be happy to facilitate.

He said: “There are two things to it.

“One, if you felt a player was coming here who was going to be of value early but also can take the club along and improve the club I don’t mind doing it. That I don’t mind.

“I did that at Villa with Ashley Young and John Carew and may be there will be other short-term loans which would bolster us immediately.