Sunderland boss Steve Bruce wants more cash from chairman Ellis Short to strengthen his attack in January.

The Mirror says Bruce has never properly filled the gap left by the controversial post-deadline exit of striker Asamoah Gyan and would like to recruit a new forward to put right what he sees as his number one problem.

Sunderland have been tracking Swiss striker Ahmed Mehmedi of FC Zurich, Tottenham's Russian Roman Pavlyuchenko and Wolfsburg's giant Senegalese hitman Papiss Cisse, and Bruce would like a striker of that standard.