‘N’DONG EXIT MUST BENEFIT US’

Didier Ndong has told Sunderland he wants to quit the club this month – but Chris Coleman says the deal must be right for the Black Cats.

Club record signing Ndong is seeking a move just 18 months after his £13.6million switch from Lorient.

Premier League side Watford want to sign the midfielder on a loan deal until the end of the season, but Sunderland have rejected that idea as it doesn’t benefit the Black Cats.

Both Ndong and defender Lamine Kone have stated they want to leave Wearside, but Coleman says it will be on the club’s terms.

Coleman said: “We have had no contact for any of the players except for Ndong. That was a loan deal we are not prepared to do because we stand to get nothing out of that.

“We have had a couple of enquiries about Didier, but loan deals won’t work for Sunderland Football Club. “That’s where we are. “Let’s establish who definitely wants to be here, no pretenders, and then let’s build with a group of people who are in it for the right reasons and give everything from now until the end of the season.

“Didier has said he doesn’t want to be here, Lamine has also said he sees his future elsewhere, which is fair enough.

“Nothing we can do about that until somebody comes in and says ‘there you go, we want this player’. We are waiting for that to happen.

“In the meantime, we want to try and bring in the players who see this as a challenge and want to help us out in what we are trying to do. Both things are running parallel.”

Coleman was due to make a late call on whether to include Ndong in the travelling squad to Cardiff today. He has trained this week after returning from an ankle injury.

Coleman added: “It will depend on where he is mentally. He knows all about Watford, but the deal is not right for us. If I think he is not mentally ready then I can’t afford to take him, not for a tough game like this.”