Hartlepool

FOR a change why don't we start with an ex-Sunderland man and Hartlepool United.

It's always good to see a local sporting hero return to the region and Tommy Miller is that man this week.

Miller is 35 these days and is a free agent after leaving Bury, where he was frustrated with his team's performances. He's ended up back at Pools.

The Shotton-born midfielder tends to sit deeper these days, occasionally demanding to take penalties, so if he does sign a contract at Victoria Park then fans will see a different type of player to that which took League Two by storm under Chris Turner between 1997-2001.

Miller scored goals for fun before he moved to Ipswich Town that year for £800,000 and he has been around the houses since, playing for Sunderland, Preston, Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield and Swindon; plus a second spell at Ipswich.

He's training with Hartlepool, where Colin Cooper looks set to give him a chance to end his career where it all started. 

Transfer likelihood rating: 9/10 

Newcastle

After today's confirmation arrives to announce the £6m arrival of Dutchman Daryl Janmaat, it will then be a case of which strikers Newcastle are going to buy. With every other department manager Alan Pardew had been looking to strenghten sorted, the forward line is the only remaining area he is desperate for additions.

French striker Emmanuel Riviere is the next man in line. Talks have been fruitful with Monaco and an agreement close to the £6m mark has apparently been reached. He is next due on Tyneside for discussions.

Come August, Pardew looks certain to be happier than he has been in previous transfer windows. If he can bring two new strikers in then he will be pretty satisfied with the work carried out by owner Mike Ashley, even if it has seen Loic Remy and Mathieu Debuchy depart.

Will Riviere be a success story at St James' Park? He needs to sign on the dotted line first but that doesn't seem too far away now.

Transfer likelihood rating: 8/10

Sunderland

After 19 months of failing to impress at the Stadium of Light, Alfred N'Diaye does not look like he will get the chance to. Gustavo Poyet has had the player on the training ground for pre-season training, but he copuld be heading back to Spain.

After last season's loan to Real Betis, the Andalucian club want him back and are willing to pay around £1.5m to make it happen. That would represent something near to a £2.2m loss purely on transfer fee alone, but it would give Poyet extra leverage in his own recruitment drive.

N'Diaye was a hit at Betis, even though they were relegated to the Spanish Second Division. It's a move that should happen, provided he is happy to drop down a level.

Transfer likelihood rating: 7/10

Middlesbrough

And then there was Middlesbrough and the Jelle Vossen saga. Following the £2.25m sale of Lukas Jutkiewicz to Burnley, it is all about Vossen if Aitor Karanka wants the extra striker.

Danny Graham could well be still a cheaper option, but Vossen has been the primary target of Middlesbrough's for the last 18 months and so far they have been unable to get something done.

Now, though, Vossen is telling everyone who will listen he wants to go to the Riverside, but Genk are still demanding well in excess of the £4m offered to them by chairman Steve Gibson.

The Belgian international has already played a pre-season friendly for Genk and has outlined he will keep playing for them out of respect. So he should. Middlesbrough, however, are not going away and hope Genk will eventually accept he wants to leave.

Transfer likelihood rating: 7/10