Newcastle United and Sunderland appear to be competing for the same transfer targets. Although Pascal Chimbonda, the Tottenham Hotspur full-back, was "extremely impressed with what Roy Keane had to say" on Saturday, Sunderland's manager may yet see the French defender snatched by Newcastle or Everton. And Kevin Keegan is pondering a bid for Dorian Goian, the Steaua Bucharest and Romania defender Keane seems to have lost interest in.

Sunderland have signed the midfielder David Meyler from Cork City for about £160,000 and last Thursday they had a £23m quadruple bid for Chimbonda, Steed Malbranque, Teemu Tainio and Younes Kaboul accepted by Tottenham. The latter trio were all due to talk to Keane yesterday but Kaboul's agent has said the defender "would not join Sunderland even if there was an earthquake".