Sunderland are to receive a world record loan fee for Asamoah Gyan�s season-long stint at United Arab Emirates club Al-Ain. Sportsmail understands that the Barclays Premier League club, who have won only once at home since January, have agreed a fee approaching �6million for the Ghana striker�s services.
On Saturday, when news broke that Gyan was leaving Wearside after the domestic transfer window had closed, Sunderland�s situation looked a messy one.
Manager Steve Bruce was baffled by Gyan�s desire to leave the club he joined only a year ago.
But a combination of the player, in Bruce�s words, �having had his head turned� and the money negotiated with Al-Ain means that Sunderland have turned what could have been a season-long problem into a huge short-term profit. Gyan will be on loan in the Gulf for the rest of the season but he remains a Sunderland employee unless the loan is made permanent.
Sunderland paid �11.2m to Rennes for the 25-year-old in August of last year and would be expected to recoup more than that should a permanent transfer to Al-Ain go through. Gyan, who is involved in the Africa Cup of Nations in January, could yet play for Sunderland again, although he would have to convince Bruce and the board of his commitment.
Bruce has worked closely with the club�s hierarchy on this deal and other transfers, indicating that the manager is not under any immediate pressure and that the former Birmingham boss and chairman Niall Quinn will remain in charge at Sunderland to guide the troubled club through the crisis enveloping Wearside.
Sunderland have refused to put out an official statement to dismiss rumours which swept through the region on Saturday night following Gyan�s move and Chelsea�s comfortable 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light.
Privately Quinn has laughed off claims he is on the verge of quitting as chairman, while a defiant Bruce vowed to continue his fight to win over the fans.
They have had better weekends however, and now face the prospect of several former players adding to their misery this Sunday.
Kenwyne Jones, Danny Collins and Dean Whitehead plus Danny Higginbotham, Rory Delap and Thomas Sorensen head for a clash which has been delayed due to Stoke�s European duties. Peter Crouch and Ricardo Fuller, both Bruce targets, will also face a Sunderland side who have won just one of their last 10 home games.
Bruce, who has added 12 new players, could not have envisaged such a miserable start, even though his team have played Liverpool and Chelsea, drawn at newcomers Swansea and suffered defeat by Newcastle at home.
The Sunderland manager admitted: �The start of the season has not been as good as we hoped for. We played fantastically well against Liverpool and lost the derby.
�I�m disappointed and can understand people�s tensions. I�ll accept the flak that comes. We�ve had a particularly hard start and we have to stick together.� Defender Titus Bramble added: �Calling for the manager�s head is unfair. He has made some great signings, but it�s going to take time to gel. The players are all behind him.�
Tensions between the club�s management and Gyan have been simmering for months, and there have been concerns about the striker�s form.
Gyan is believed to have accepted a �5m-a-year wage package to play for the former Asian Champions League winners who struggle to attract four-figure crowds.
Bruce said: �I can�t understand someone�s logic; Africa�s player of the year, a hero in his own country, leaving the biggest stage in the world. I will let other people draw their own conclusions. Sometimes football is baffling.
�The timing is disappointing and the whole thing has left a bad taste. But I won�t stand in the way of someone who doesn�t want to be at your club.�
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