Sunderland are unlikely to be interested in Tottenham striker Robbie Keane.
Black Cats boss Steve Bruce remains determined to sign Keane's Spurs teammate, Darren Bent, however.
The Sunday Sun says although there is now talk of Tottenham upping the price to a ridiculous £18m for Bent, the suspicion is that Spurs may be attempting to convince Bruce to take Keane off their hands instead.
That ploy looks likely to fail, with Sunderland having already reacted coolly to being offered the well-travelled Irishman.