Sunderland step up player search
Monday, 2 July 2007 16:11Sunderland will this week step up their bid to strengthen Roy Keane's squad.
The Black Cats will return for pre-season training next week with Keane looking to add significantly to the captures of Greg Halford and Russell Anderson.
Chairman Niall Quinn is hopeful of making progress this week as the Wearsiders concentrate on their top targets after suffering a series of setbacks.
Diego Forlan's move to Atletico Madrid from Villarreal denied Keane the kind of headline-grabbing signing the club's fans crave, while he has been given little encouragement to date in his pursuit of Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen or former Manchester United team-mate Alan Smith.
Sunderland are currently awaiting an answer from Preston striker David Nugent, who is due to return from holiday this week after thinking over the club's offer.
In the meantime, they are looking to push through their interest in a series of targets.
It emerged at the weekend that the Black Cats had been given permission to talk to Paul McShane and Paul Robinson.
McShane looks destined for the Stadium of Light but his West Brom club-mate may not follow him.
Sunderland are instead expected to step up their efforts to persuade Wigan's England Under-21 international Leighton Baines to head for the north-east despite Latics boss Chris Hutchings insisting the 22-year-old has told him he wants to stay at the JJB Stadium.
Manchester United winger Kieran Richardson has also been linked with the Wearsiders as Alex Ferguson continues to build his latest side.
Keane has around £25million to invest in his squad, and has so far parted with £4million on Halford and Anderson.
That kind of spending power has inevitably led to intense speculation over his targets, with the latest name linked being Heerenveen's Brazilian striker Afonso Alves.
The 26-year-old, currently on Copa America duty with his country, scored 34 goals in 31 games in Holland last season.
