Sunderland transfer chief confirms interest in Man Utd forward

Sunderland's sporting director Kristjaan Speakman has confirmed the club's interest in Manchester United forward Amad but he is expected to remain at the club.

Amad enjoyed a successful loan at the Stadium of Light in the Championship last season and there is strong loan interest in him from several clubs. But he is unlikely to be loaned out this month.

Speakman, speaking this week, confirmed that the club were in dialogue with Manchester United over Amad's future, but reiterated Michael Beale's view that he is unlikely to be loaned out by the Premier League side.

“In the transfer window, there’s loads of things that are never going to happen that happen, and there’s loads of things that don’t happen that you think might happen," Speakman said.

"That’s just the market we live in. The situation with Amad is really clear. We’ve got a really positive relationship with the boy and his people, we’ve got a really positive relationship with Manchester United and I think everyone was really delighted on all sides with what happened last season. Do we think he’s a player that could come and improve our team? Yes. Have we inquired about him? Yes. Have we kept in contact? Of course we have.

"If we hadn’t kept in contact about him, my head might be on a stake at the beach. That’s where it’s at. If that picture changes in any shape or form, then we’ll be on it and we’ll understand where it sits. That doesn’t mean that even if he became available we would get him though, because as I’ve said on numerous occasions, I think he’s a tier one player so he’s probably going to be play in one of the top leagues somewhere."