SUNDERLAND'S search for a new striker took a dramatic new turn last night as they tabled a £5.5m bid for Southampton centre-forward Kenwyne Jones, writes SCOTT WILSON.
Having failed to persuade Mido to sign at the Stadium of Light, Black Cats boss Roy Keane has switched his attention to the south coast as he looks to add some physical presence to his attack.
Southampton have already rejected Derby's £5m bid for Jones, a 22-year-old Trinidad & Tobago international who scored 16 goals as the Saints reached the Championship play-offs last season.
That bid involved a relatively small down payment, though, and Sunderland officials are hoping that their offer of £5.5m up front will be enough to persuade Southampton boss George Burley to sell one of his club's leading assets.
Burley is reluctant to sanction Jones' departure but with his side having suffered early-season defeats to Crystal Palace and Peterborough, he may opt to take Sunderland's money in order to finance a rapid rebuilding of his squad.
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