Poyet worked closely with in his time as Brighton boss, and he believes the 24-year-old would fit perfectly into the style of play he wants to develop at Sunderland.
A firm bid, in excess of £2m, has been made by Sunderland though that was rejected by Brighton.
The problem is - Poyet himself described Bridcutt as “a £5m player” during his time at the Amex Stadium.
However, there could be a compromise in the form of Connor Wickham going out on loan to the south coast club as a makeweight in the deal.
Brighton are on the lookout for a striker to reinforce their options up front as they look to maintain a push for the play-offs.
Wickham was recalled by Sunderland yesterday, two days before his loan at the Owls was due to end – and before he was due to play for them against Millwall tonight.
That indicates Poyet has a plan for the 20-year-old, and it could be that he is used as bait to tempt Brighton to sell Bridcutt.