£10m McGeady wanted by Sunderland, with Stokes offered as bait

Published on Saturday 14 June 2008 19:43

SUNDERLAND manager Roy Keane is poised to make a club record £10m bid for Celtic's Republic of Ireland winger Aiden McGeady – with striker Anthony Stokes thrown in as part of the deal.

The Black Cats spent last season fighting relegation from the Premier League and, having stayed in the top flight, Keane wants to add more quality to his side. Keane is an admirer of the 22-year-old, having been a team-mate at international level and at Parkhead two years ago.

Now he wants to test Celtic's resolve by putting a cash-plus-player offer on the table for McGeady, who was voted Scotland's Players' Player of the Year.

Keane knows he needs more flair in his team and he regards McGeady, capped 18 times, as the man to provide it, which is why he's prepared to top the 9m he paid to Hearts for Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon last year. Celtic manager Gordon Strachan, who has made three unsuccessful bids to land Northern Ireland striker Kyle Lafferty from Burnley this year, may be tempted by the offer of Stokes.

The Scottish champions first tried to sign the striker as a youngster but couldn't match the financial offer made to him by Arsenal. He took the SPL by storm two seasons ago when, on loan from Arsene Wenger's side to Falkirk, he notched 16 goals in as many games before Christmas.

That earned the 20-year-old Dubliner a 2m move to Sunderland but he's struggled to make an impact at the Stadium of Light, scoring just three goals in 35 appearances. His only Premiership strike was a last-minute winner against Derby County. He also fell foul of Keane when he and two team-mates turned up late for the team coach before a match against Barnsley – and was left behind by his furious manager.