By Ameenu Shardow
Sunderland are ready to sell off Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan but to the highest bidder.
The Black Cats paid a then club record of £13m to French club Stade Renne for the 26-year-old in the summer of 2010.
They however recouped a sizeable amount of the money spent in acquiring the former Udinese man when he joined UAE club Al Ain who paid a £6m World record loan deal in September 2011 who now want the player on a permanent basis.
Sunderland have already decided they do not want the Ghanaian international – whose departure caused uproar among supporters and damaged Steve Bruce’s plans for last season – back at the Stadium of Light.
But while they are aware the Al Ain offer is on the table, the Black Cats are still waiting to see whether other interested bidders come in with good offers for a player of undoubted skill and charisma who remains a national hero in Ghana.
Turkish club Galatasaraay have expressed interest but no acceptable offer has been forthcoming.
Sunderland will thus wait to see whether tentative enquiries firm up into genuine offers over the next few weeks before making a firm decision on the transfer which is expected by the end of this month.
It however looks increasingly likely Gyan will join Al Ain rather than any club where the striker has declared his preparedness to extend his stay.
He has said earlier this week: “Al Ain have shown an interest in signing me permanently and I am also interested in staying.
“I like the place and my family are also in love with the place.â€