SUNDERLAND have put contract talks with Dennis Cirkin and Dan Neil on hold until the end of the season.

Both Cirkin and Neil have entered the final 18 months of their current contracts on Wearside, and the Black Cats would ideally like to tie them down to longer-term deals.

However, with discussions in the first half of the season having failed to result in an agreement, talks have now been shelved in order to avoid any distractions in the final three months of the campaign.

“We’ve had those conversations with the guys,” said Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman. “There’s no question over Dennis or Dan’s commitment to Sunderland.

“But I don’t think at the minute, it’s the right moment to be getting into too much of a conversation with them. That’s really just down to the short time period we’ve got to the summer. We’ve got so much to achieve, and we need to stay focused.”

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Neil has been the subject of sustained interest for the last couple of years. Leicester City were heavily linked with the midfielder after he broke into Sunderland’s first team, while West Ham United and Everton were both reported to be lining up potential offers during last month’s transfer window.

The Wearsider is one of Sunderland’s most valuable assets, but Speakman claims the strength of his bond to his boyhood club means there is absolutely no question of his attention being distracted in the next three months.

“Dan’s our captain,” he said. “I think he’s grown into that captaincy role and, as the season has gone on, has become more and more influential. At the minute, we’re really comfortable with where he’s at, we’re just zoned in and focused on these remaining games.”

Speakman will also seek to hold talks with Trey Ogunsuyi and his representatives, with the teenage striker reportedly a long-term transfer target for Liverpool.

“We’re always trying to retain our talent,” he said. “There’s a number of players across our pathway that we’d like to keep, and we try to stay ahead of all those conversations. So far, our track record has been fairly positive, so we’ll continue trying to do that.

“The demand for young talent in this country is really, really high at the minute. We’ve got to try to make sure that we look after Sunderland and keep that pipeline coming through.

“There’s a lot of players in our squad at the minute that have either come through our academy or we’ve signed them early and they’ve broken into the team and are now main parts of our starting XI.”