Sunderland to beat Villa to Gordon?

Sunderland have emerged as the favourites to land keeper Craig Gordon – but Roy Keane will have to splash out more than the £5million reportedly already rejected by Hearts for the Scotland international.

The 24-year-old, who is also thought to have caught the attention of Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa, has reportedly already been the subject of a £5million bid from the Black Cats – but Hearts want nearer £10million for their club captain.

Gordon told Hearts World: “There’s still a lot of time left in the transfer window so I might leave before the start of the season. But I can’t think about it much as I need to be ready for the new season. It’s out of my hands at the moment and we’ll need to see what happens over the next few weeks.”

Gordon admitted he was aware that Sunderland had made an offer to sign him, and said that while no bid has been accepted from any club, he would give serious consideration if Keane returns with an offer that satisfies Hearts’ supremo Vladimir Romanov.

Other clubs thought to be interested include Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich – showing just how highly rated Gordon is both across these islands and abroad.