Source: Northern_Echo
Sunderland quoted £11m for Niko
SUNDERLAND remain in the hunt to land a new left-winger but Niko Kranjcar has revealed he has been priced out of a permanent move to Wearside.[LNB] Steve Bruce, the Black Cats manager, is keen to bring in a new left-midfielder before the transfer window closes on August 31 and Kranjcar was one of the options he was considering.[LNB] But on the same day that Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp insisted his player will not be joining Sunderland, who were keen to take him on loan, the player himself has revealed the asking price.[LNB] "There is nothing new about my transfer. The price is £11m pounds and there is no club who will pay this price," said Kranjcar.[LNB] Bruce had hinted eight days ago that he was interested in the player and the speculation intensified in midweek when Adrian Alijaj, claiming to be his agent, suggested the player was going to Sunderland rather than Roma.[LNB] However, with the attacking midfielder thought to be distancing himself from any links to Alijaj, sources close to the player insist that no deal is in place.[LNB] That could change quickly if there is any progress made towards selling Luka Modric to Chelsea, which would open the door for Redknapp to reinvest the money raised from such a sale in to his squad.[LNB] But he is reluctant to offload another creative midfielder when he knows Modric could be on his way this month - even if he would prefer to keep him.[LNB] "No, he isn't going to Sunderland," said Redknapp. "We want to keep him. He is an outstanding player. I love him. He will be important for us."[LNB] Kranjcar has another two years to run on his contract that he signed when he left Portsmouth in August 2009.[LNB] But the 27-year-old, who was influential in the 5-0 win at Hearts in the Europa League on Thursday night, struggled to play regularly in the Premier League last season.[LNB] Bruce has identified him as a player that could solve his left-wing problem, but has a number of targets in mind to fill that role before the end of the month if the right deal presents itself.[LNB] Craig Bellamny is among those to have been considered, but Bruce knows offloading Nyron Nosworthy and Matt Kilgallon could be key to him bringing in anyone else. The likelihood is, though, that any new arrival will be on loan.[LNB]
