CHERRIES boss Eddie Howe is understood to be hoping to bolster his squad with at least two new additions ahead of the closing of the transfer window tomorrow.

Derby frontman Johnny Russell and Norwich midfielder Andrew Surman are believed to be Howe’s main targets although other players are also on the radar.

Cherries are understood to have had two bids rejected for Russell, with a third – which was believed to have been tabled last night – currently being considered by the Derby board.

And is it thought Norwich are weighing up an offer from the Dorset club for former Cherries loan star Surman who has dropped down the pecking order at Carrow Road.

Meanwhile, suggestions that Derby had made a counter offer for Cherries winger Matt Ritchie are believed to be wide of the mark with a swap deal for Russell also a non-starter.

Cherries boss Howe never comments publicly on transfer speculation, while a report in the Derby Telegraph said the Rams would neither confirm nor deny the Ritchie rumour.

Striker Russell, a £750,000 buy from Dundee United in June 2013, has featured in all seven of Derby’s Championship and League Cup games this season.

The 24-year-old Glaswegian, capped by his country at under-19 and under-21 level, was substituted after 70 minutes of their 1-1 draw with Ipswich yesterday.

He scored nine goals in 42 appearances for the Rams last season and lined up in their Championship play-off final defeat by QPR in May.

Russell, who is 13 months into a four-year contract, was ruled out for six weeks after fracturing his left fibula in a win over Leeds in October and made his comeback in Derby’s 1-0 victory over Cherries at Dean Court in November.

Surman, meanwhile, has long been a target for Cherries having been a revelation during the second half of last season as Howe’s men secured a 10th-placed finish.

In an interview with the Daily Echo in April, Surman said he would consider the possibility of a permanent move to Dean Court should the situation present itself.

Although the 27-year-old featured prominently in Norwich’s pre-season campaign, he has started just one Championship match and was not involved in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Cherries.

Surman is in the final year of his contract with the Canaries and would probably command a fee of around £500,000 if they were prepared to sell.