Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has confirmed their interest in Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh.

"Chamakh is a player I've liked for a long, long time," said Bruce in The Guardian.

"We have shown an interest and we'll see what develops with that. He is one of a few we are looking at and we will decide soon.

"Niall got back on Thursday and there will be high-level talks going on over the weekend, not just about him, but regarding other targets as well.

"We've still got one or two irons in the fire like we've had for weeks. We're still trying and we're close, in particular, to one deal being done over the next couple of days.

"But, after what has happened this week with Peter Crouch, I don't want to say too much.

"That was a massive disappointment and you can never say 'yes', the deal is done, until everything has actually been done."