Carlisle United No2 Colin West says the club are chasing players from higher divisions as they inch closer to ending their long wait for summer signings.

The Blues are believed to be in the advanced stages of talks with several targets, with pre-season training just six days away.

The Cumberland News understands that manager Keith Curle remains an admirer of former loan striker Hallam Hope along with his former Bury team-mate, midfielder Kelvin Etuhu.

Both players - still free agents - are believed to be on the Blues' radar, while United have also been strongly linked with a loan deal for Brentford keeper Jack Bonham.

United have not confirmed any deals yet and would not comment about any individual targets, but stressed they were hot on the heels of a number of players as the build-up to the 2017/18 season gathers pace.

The squad returns for training next week and it is expected a number of new faces will be joining the club's existing players for training, including several trialists.

The wait for permanent additions is also expected to end soon even though West admitted the close-season had been more "frustrating" for the Blues than last year.

The assistant boss said United's involvement in last season's play-offs had affected their recruitment, but they still plan to bring in several quality players.

West said: "It's been a little bit more frustrating in terms of signings.

"Getting into the play-offs was great for the football club, but it has delayed us by two weeks in the process of trying to get players in. We needed to know what kind of player we could attract.

"But we have spoken to lots of players, agents and managers and are still speaking to a number of them. A couple of targets are still on holiday.

"We don't want to just bring in mediocre players. Keith know what he wants. We've identified players and Lee Dykes has also done an excellent job in that respect.

"Players we are trying to talk to and attract are in slightly higher divisions than we are in, and that is the mark of what we are looking for.

"We are trying to make progress. I don't want to put it all at the football club's shoes but the financial side of it, the budget, also dictates things massively."

Frontman Hope, who scored five goals during a 25-game loan spell for the Blues in 2015/16, has attracted interest from other clubs in Leagues One and Two this summer.

Midfielder Etuhu, 29, was also released by Bury and is a player believed to have caught Curle's eye.

The start of training, meanwhile, will see a number of hopefuls bidding to earn a deal with the Cumbrians.

West said: "We'll always have trialists. We've had lots of agents recommending this player and that player, players from abroad, and it would be silly not to look at some of them. You might pull out one or two that are gems."

Curle and his staff have recently been on holiday but West added: "Just because we're not physically in the building doesn't mean we're not working.

"We're always on the phone to different people and contacts.

"Keith is positive, but that's the type of person he is and always puts that across to players. He is always wanting to push the boundaries and trying to progress."

Carlisle's youth players return on Sunday, with their training getting under way on Monday.