Sunderland set to sign Morrison as likely replacement for Quinn

Sunderland are set to follow their capture of the Cameroon striker Patrick Mboma with an offer for Crystal Palace's free-scoring Clinton Morrison.

Peter Reid is ready to follow up his inquiries with a firm bid in the next 48 hours for Palace's Republic of Ireland striker. The south London club are likely to want at least £5 million for their top scorer to even consider parting with the 22-year-old player.

Although Palace are pushing for a first division play-off place, they could be tempted by an offer that more than doubles their own £2.2 million outlay recently in buying Ade Akinbiyi from Leicester.

Sunderland may be planning ahead for the loss of the 35-year-old Niall Quinn, although the striker is suggesting that he will see out one last season after retiring from international football following the Republic's World Cup campaign in summer.

Knee injuries and a recurring back problem have taken their toll on Quinn, who said: "As of now I don't know what I'm going to do next season.

"When I signed my three-year deal the club were worried whether I would see out the three years. I promised them at the start of the third year I would sit down and talk with them."

Mboma's loan deal from Parma could be converted into a permanent move in summer and Quinn added: "With Patrick now with us, that could make all the difference. But we will see what happens when I come back from the World Cup. I might be full of beans again and really want to bash another year out."

Arsenal have signed the Ivory Coast international Kolo Toure (20), after a successful trial at Highbury. He has been a regular in his national side since 2000 and as a result has no work-permit problems.

Wenger said: "Kolo is very versatile and can play in the centre of the park and at right-back.

"You never know, he could feature in the first team before the end of the season."

Newcastle yesterday fined Craig Bellamy the maximum two weeks' wages - around £40,000 - and warned him to as to future conduct after his police caution for an assault on a female student last week.

Bellamy was called to the chairman Freddy Shepherd's office when the forward returned from Cardiff after playing in Wales 1-1 draw with Argentina.

The club would say only that the player had been "appropriately disciplined".

Bellamy said: "It has been a terrible week for me. The only answer I can give is to play football and do well and that's exactly what I did against Argentina."

Bellamy's team-mate Jamie McClen has been punished by the club after he was arrested and cautioned for being drunk and disorderly in the early hours yesterday.

Nandor Hidegkuti, part of Hungary's "Golden Team" of the 1950s, died in hospital yesterday from heart and lung problems. He was 80. Hidegkuti will be best remembered for his hat-trick in Hungary's 6-3 demolition of England at Wembley in 1953.