Leicester City have rejected a bid from Sunderland for winger Kasey McAteer as the winter transfer window enters its final few hours.

While City have rebuffed an offer from the promotion-chasing Black Cats, the fee put forward is understood to be lower than the reported £8m. It’s said that Sunderland will return with another offer.

However, City won’t want to let McAteer go until they have a new winger lined up to come in. They will need to be certain that any arrival improves their starting line-up as they bid to avoid Premier League relegation.

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City have been restricted this month by Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), but a deal for McAteer would be helpful for relieving the pressures of the financial regulations. As an academy graduate, his sale would go into the books as pure profit.

A new winger has been craved by Ruud van Nistelrooy this month, especially one with pace, to get around the “massive loss” of Abdul Fatawu, who is out for the season. But it remains the case that any incomings are unlikely, and only one new name has emerged on deadline day.

Lazio’s French under-21 international Loum Tchaouna has been linked to City in the Italian press. However, PSV Eindhoven, van Nistelrooy’s former club, have also been attributed with interest and it seems if Tchaouna is to leave Rome, it is more likely to be to the Netherlands.

Aside from a winger, a centre-back was on the agenda for City as they look to correct their poor defensive record. While preliminary talks were held over a swap deal between City and Wolves over Conor Coady and Craig Dawson, that is now not happening.

Elsewhere, there have been suggestions that Facundo Buonanotte could end his City loan and head back to Brighton. But the Seagulls cannot recall the Argentinian because he met a clause in his loan contract over a certain number of minutes played in the first half of the season. The only way he would leave is if City were to cancel his loan, which is extremely unlikely.

Caleb Okoli and Wilfred Ndidi have also been linked with exits. Okoli won’t be going anywhere, while it would be a huge shock if Ndidi left.

There had been talk earlier in the window of Odsonne Edouard’s deal being cancelled so that City could open up another Premier League loan slot. But as City would have to pay to do so, and given the concerns around PSR, they would only go through with that should they be certain to get in another loan player before the 11pm deadline.

At the weekend, van Nistelrooy was questioned whether left-back Luke Thomas could leave after he missed out on the matchday squad over the past two matches. The manager said that would not happen if no players came in.

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