PORTSMOUTH HAVE accepted a €14 million offer from Sunderland for Peter Crouch and will leave the 28-year-old striker to decide whether he wants to move to the Stadium of Light only 12 months after he returned to Fratton Park.
Steve Bruce, Sunderland’s manager, confirmed yesterday that the clubs were in discussions but denied a fee had been offered and accepted.
But it’s understood a price has been agreed for Crouch and it is now up to him.
Having played in England’s World Cup qualifiers at the end of last season, Crouch has been given an extended holiday and is due to return to pre-season training today, when his thoughts about the potential move may become clearer.
Bruce’s main task in persuading Crouch to join Sunderland will be to convince him of the club’s ambition and, to a lesser extent, that the north-east is an attractive proposition.
The England striker, who scored 11 goals in 38 league appearances last season, is also interesting Milan and Fulham but it is thought neither club has lodged a formal bid with Portsmouth.
Crouch’s departure would further weaken a Portsmouth squad which has already lost several players, notably Glen Johnson and Sean Davis, and has not been bolstered while Sulaiman Al Fahim tries to conclude a takeover.
The club would be left with only 14 outfield first-team squad players.
Bruce is hopeful Crouch will prove a statement signing, one which persuades other international players that Sunderland mean business.
The manager also revealed that he hopes to sign a total of six players this summer.
Fraizer Campbell has already been purchased from Manchester United for a fee which may rise to €7 million and the Paraguay defender Paulo da Silva has joined on a free, while other targets include Lee Cattermole of Wigan and Manchester City’s Richard Dunne.
Another goalkeeper is a possibility after Bruce said that Craig Gordon is struggling to recover from a knee operation in time for the new campaign.
“Craig is becoming a bit of a concern,” Bruce said, “particularly as Marton Fulop [Gordon’s deputy] has a bit of an achilles problem.”
Two players are set to leave Wearside, with Hull City on the brink of signing the striker Daryl Murphy for €3.5 million and Dean Whitehead close to joining Stoke City.
