New Deano bid rebuffed…

Sunderland have rejected a new £2m bid from Reading for midfielder Dean Whitehead.

Reading initially bid £1.2m for the midfielder last week, only for Sunderland boss Niall Quinn to reject the offer for the player of the year. But Reading are keen to add Whitehead to their midfield ranks along with new midfielder Seol Ki Hyeon, in readiness for their forthcoming Premiership season.

They have therefore returned with an improved offer of £2m, however this has also been turned down by the club. It would seem that the new men in charge of Sunderland see Whitehead as an integral part of the side that will attempt to gain promotion back to the Premiership at the first attempt, with the former Oxford man having been such an important player when Sunderland were promoted as champions two years ago.

And with the Drumaville consortium’s takeover now complete, along with the sales of Andy Gray, Kelvin Davis and Julio Arca, Quinn is certainly not in a position where he needs to sell his best players.

And while Reading remain keen, it is unlikely they will return with a further bid, as manger Steve Coppell switches his sights on to other potential targets.