Sunderland have reportedly expressed an interest in signing Belgian defender Nicolas Lombaerts from Zenit St Petersburg.
Lombaerts has been a Zenit player since 2007 and made 240 appearances for the Russian side.
He still has three years left on his current deal, but Sunderland are keen on prising him away to bolster their defensive ranks.
According to PA, reports suggesting that a £5m bid has been accepted are wide of the mark.
The 30-year-old has 33 caps with Belgium and has scored three times for his country.
