Sunderland have been dispatching scouts to France to earmark potential recruits for next season.

The Stadium of Light side have also been watching Rennes' games with sources in Brittany claiming Bruno Cheyrou is a possible target for Black Cats boss Roy Keane.

Cheyrou had a disappointing spell in England with Liverpool but has regained his best form in Ligue 1.

The 30-year-old's performance against Toulouse was monitored by Sunderland representatives with John Mensah being tracked by Portsmouth in the same game.

Cheyrou, once optimistically dubbed 'The new Zidane' by Gerard Houllier, is just one of the potential targets for the Wearsiders but it is his name that has been reported in the French media.