Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is wasting no time in spending some of the £20million generated by the sale of midfielder Jordan Henderson to Liverpool.
Bruce is planning a £12m bid for THREE Manchester United squad men - John O’Shea, Wes Brown and Darron Gibson.
Henderson completed his switch to Anfield after undergoing a medical in Liverpool before flying to Denmark to rejoin the England squad for the European Under-21 Championship.
The 20-year-old signed a four-year contract that will see his wages quadruple to £60,000 a week.
The completion of the deal ends days of haggling between the clubs over the size of the fee. Liverpool striker David Ngog has joined Sunderland as part of the overall package.
Henderson, who made his full England debut last November in a friendly against France, was due to fly to Denmark with the Under-21 squad on Tuesday but stayed behind to complete his move before the tournament gets under way.
Ex-United skipper Bruce now hopes to get the nod from his old boss Sir Alex Ferguson to land O’Shea, Brown and Gibson.
The Black Cats' manager is confident he can seal the deal by talking the trio into leaving their Old Trafford comfort zone and taking up the challenge at the Stadium of Light.
O’Shea and Brown have been in the first-team squad for a decade but both long-serving stars know their chances will be hit by the arrival of Blackburn’s Phil Jones - and other potential captures.
Midfielder Gibson has also figured, but Ferguson is in the chase for at least one new player in that area in the park - and selling Gibson would provide more money to bid for Udinese’s £30m-rated Alexis Sanchez.
Ferguson will give the clearest sign yet that the international threesome are down his United pecking order when he allows them to speak to Bruce.
The United trio can help re-build a Sunderland squad that needs boosting after a disappointing second half of the season and Bruce will offer them good deals to move.
The Sunderland boss was happy to cash in on Henderson because he thinks he needs five or six new faces and the player's exit helps fill his coffers for a major signing spree.
Moving away from United will be a big wrench for O’Shea and Brown in particular, but both would see their opportunities of football reduced if they decide to stay on.
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