Sunderland made a cheeky bid for Joey Barton before he signed with QPR.
The Sunday Express says the controversial midfielder, who quit Newcastle United to join QPR on Friday on a free transfer, refused to reveal which other clubs were interested in signing him.
But yesterday he gave a broad hint that the Black Cats were one of them.
Barton, 28, said: "There were other clubs interested in me but it would not be prudent to name names as I'm not going to air everybody's dirty laundry.
"Some of them I could do and some I couldn't. If I had gone there I would probably have been lynched.''
