Thome unaware of Rovers talk

The 30-year-old Brazilian signed for Sunderland two years ago in a £4.5 million deal from Chelsea and after a good first season at the Stadium of Light found his 2001/2002 campaign disrupted by a string of injuries.

Despite the acquisition of Phil Babb and the linking of Gary Breen to the Wearsiders, in addition to the plethora of central defenders already at Reid's disposal, Thome's agent Tony Henry insists he expects the Brazilian to be a regular with Sunderland next season.

"He missed the end of the season with an injury, but he's back fit now and played in Niall Quinn's testimonial," Henry told planetfootball.com

"He'll be expecting to play next season, I know Peter Reid thinks a lot of him.

"You never know what happens in football, but I fully expect him to be a Sunderland player next season."

With Reid looking to rebuild the Sunderland side during the summer, he may see Thome as a player to cash in on, to help strengthen the team in other areas.

Thome is certainly the type of player Souness is looking at, as he has targeted his back four as the area of his side that most needs strengthening.