Bruce insists Gyan is not for sale

The rumour mill is full with hearsay that Sunderland’s record signing is on his way out of the Stadium of Light, with Tottenham Hotspur being lined up as potential suitors.

But Bruce is eager to distance Gyan from a move away, despite the recent signings of strikers Connor Wickham and Ji Dong-won.

"I haven't had any telephone conversation with any agent, I have had no offer from any other club," he told BBC Radio Newcastle’s Total Sport Show.

"As far as I am concerned, I am looking forward to seeing Gyan being ready for the Premier League better than he was last time.

"I think he will be better this time around. He knows what to expect - I am expecting big things from him.

"As far as I am concerned, he's going nowhere, unless we get a wonder bid which comes out of nowhere, like we have had in the past, but I can't see it at this moment."

Gyan - who represented his native Ghana during last summer’s World Cup - has made 31 appearances for Sunderland, scoring 10 goals in the process.

The Black Cats have been extremely active in the transfer window following the sale of Jordan Henderson to Liverpool last month, which added a considerable amount to Bruce’s transfer kitty.

And Bruce has admitted that, despite being disappointed with the 20-year-olds departure, he remains upbeat by the fact that it has made extra transfer funds available.

Bruce said: "We were all saddened by the loss of Jordan, but sometimes in football, as I have said all along, if it happens and it's the right price and you can better your squad, then sometimes you have to sacrifice.

"We didn't want him to go, but unfortunately, the price and what happened with the transfer thing and Jordan himself.

"Then we said OK then, we will take it and use that money wisely and make the team and make the club stronger and better."

ByElliott Binks

Nick Moore

Nick Moore is a freelance journalist based on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He wrote his first FourFourTwo feature in 2001 about Gerard Houllier's cup-treble-winning Liverpool side, and has continued to ink his witty words for the mag ever since. Nick has produced FFT's 'Ask A Silly Question' interview for 16 years, once getting Peter Crouch to confess that he dreams about being a dwarf.