SUNDERLAND angrily denied a report yesterday that they are prepared to sell their England star Kevin Phillips.

Speculation is mounting that the Wearside club might be forced to part company with their ace striker this summer, with Championship contenders Arsenal waiting in the wings with a bid of £16m, as exclusively revealed in The Northern Echo earlier this week.

Other newspapers have followed up with reports that Sunderland will consider offers for their prize asset, but the suggestion was quickly fired down by the club yesterday. A statement said: "Sunderland Football Club today dismissed reports that striker Kevin Phillips is for sale.

"Kevin has a contract with the club that runs until 2005 and has always indicated that his interests are to play for Sunderland.

"The club insists that their aim at the moment is to retain top players as well as acquire new talent."

Phillips, who again failed to score on his eighth appearance for England as a second half substitute in the 1-1 draw with Holland in Amsterdam in midweek, has been the subject of persistent transfer rumours following his eye-catching displays in the Premiership.

He has scored 11 times for Sunderland this season when the team has struggled and clubs like Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with the 28-year-old former non-league player.

There have been suggestions that Phillips might have to move to a more successful club to improve his chances of England recognition - and if he does not make Sven-Goran Eriksson's World Cup squad speculation about his future is bound to increase.

Phillips himself has expressed no desire to leave Sunderland, and has stressed that he has settled in the area, particularly after the birth of twins Toby and Tia, now 11 weeks old.

The latest report suggests that Sunderland actually offered Phillips to Arsenal, who are said to have turned him down, and that Spurs are prepared to pay £12m for the hot-shot.

Phillips has shrugged off all previous speculation about possible big-money transfers.

He said recently: "It was pleasant to see that in a quiet news week I haven't been 'sold' to another club in the papers.

"Usually I'm linked with a move away from the club on a regular basis, the deal usually being signed, sealed and delivered and about to go through, though it's always news to me when friends ring me up to tell me what my new club is."

Phillips is now looking forward to his new partnership with Cameroon international and Olympic Games gold medallist Patrick Mboma, who has signed on loan from Italian club Parma until the end of the season with a view to a permanent £4m transfer.

The much-travelled 31-year-old striker is expected to make his Premiership debut in the big derby game against Newcastle United at the Stadium of Light a week tomorrow. But the big striker will not be wearing the number 70 on his back as he'd hoped.

The Premier League has turned down the club's request to allocate the number - indicating Mboma's year of birth - and the former African Player of the year will be given number 7, which was worn by French international Lilian Laslandes before he left to join German club Cologne on loan for the rest of the season .

*Peter Reid, who has been linked with a £3m move for Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison, has flown to Argentina and will watch three matches over the weekend as he continues his search for new players

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