Sunderland end interest in Lorient defender Lamine Kone

Sunderland have ended their interest in Lorient defender Lamine Kone as they close on a move for Bayern Munich's Jan Kirchhoff.

The news was confirmed by manager Sam Allardyce on Thursday, not long after reports in France said the £5m deal had fallen through.

Allardyce has been keen to add to his defensive stocks, and Kirchhoff arrived on Wearside on Wednesday for a medical ahead of a potential £1m move from the Bundesliga.

Sunderland were linked with Kone after Christmas and Lorient vice president Alex Hayes said on New Year's Eve they had accepted an offer for the 26-year-old.

Now Hayes has criticised Sunderland for pulling out of the deal, calling the Premier League's conduct "outrageous".

Kone missed a French Cup game last weekend and will not be fit for this weekend's Ligue 1 derby with Rennes.

And Hayes, quoted in French newspaper Le Telegramme, said: "We gave Sunderland our consent last Tuesday, Lamine left the next day to have contract talks, but the player warned us there were problems in negotiating his contract.

"Because of the holidays it dragged out until Monday. They tried to change the pre-agreed deal. Lamine called me to ask if he could return to Lorient and I told him with great pleasure.

"Our defensive pillar was lost for the cup game against Tours and for the Rennes derby, for nothing. It's quite outrageous on the part of Sunderland who, meanwhile, have negotiated with a Bayern player."