Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has revealed he is planning to renew his interest in Kevin Kuranyi in the summer.
German on Black Cats' shopping list
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has revealed he is planning to renew his interest in Schalke striker Kevin Kuranyi in the summer.
Bruce has held a long-term interest in Kuranyi and tried to sign him during the January transfer window.
Kuranyi is out of contract in the summer and Bruce knows he will face a battle to land the 28-year-old on a Bosman free transfer
"Kevin Kuranyi will be linked with every top club in Europe. Let's be fair, he's a fantastic player who is playing for a club which is trying to win the Bundesliga," he said.
"As everybody knows out there, he is the most outstanding Bosman signing probably in Europe, so I would think there must be 25 clubs looking for his signature - and I can confirm we would be interested, of course we would.
"But we all know we are up against it because of how big the personality is and how big the player is.
"What we are trying to do is improve, but it's not just going to be, I wouldn't have thought, a bottomless pit.
"But for a Bosman like that, we have got to be interested."
Contract talks
Bruce also revealed he is in talks with midfield trio Jordan Henderson and David Meyler and Bolo Zenden over new deals at the Stadium of Light.
"We are in contract negotiations with Henderson and Meyler as a reward for what they have done, particularly Meyler, who has come from nowhere really," added Bruce
"Bolo, I will leave it up to him. I want him to stay. The way he has helped the young players - and we have got some exceptionally good young players, including the two on loan, [Jack] Colback and [Martyn] Waghorn, who are getting rave reviews from their respective clubs [Ipswich and Leicester], so that bodes well.
"But Bolo has been particularly helpful in that respect. He has been the ultimate pro, and you can see why he has played for Marseille and Barcelona and Chelsea and Liverpool.
"He is an exceptional talent. I have used him as an impact player and typical Bolo, he wants to play more, which I can understand.
"I will just leave the whole situation up to Bolo. He knows there's an offer there for him: if he wants it, fine; if he wants to try elsewhere, then I can understand that as well."
