Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce confirms Lamine Kone deal is off

Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has confirmed that the club are no longer interested in signing Lorient defender Lamine Kone.

The North-East outfit were thought to be close to agreeing a transfer when Lorient vice-president Alex Hayes revealed last week that an offer had been accepted.

However, recent reports in France claimed that a £5m deal had been scrapped, and Allardyce himself confirmed the news to reporters in his press conference.

Meanwhile, it is believed that Bayern Munich defender Jan Kirchhoff is close to sealing a £1m switch to the Stadium of Light after arriving on Wearside on Wednesday to undergo a medical.