Sunderland seal record swoop for Gyan

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has expressed his delight at completing the signing of Asamoah Gyan from Rennes for a club record fee of £13million.

Bruce sealed the deal with just 20 minutes left of the transfer deadline to smash the club's previous record outlay of £10million, which bought Darren Bent from Tottenham in 2009.

Gyan, who scored three goals at this summer’s World Cup as Ghana reached the quarter-finals, has penned a four-year contract at the Stadium of Light.

The 24-year-old is in line to make his debut against Wigan on September 11, and Black Cats boss Bruce can’t wait to pair his new signing with Bent.

"It's a fantastic signing for us," he said. "It's a hell of a lot of money in today's climate but the owner understood the necessity and we've managed to bring in another top class striker.

“We're making huge strides. I tried to sign him last summer but it wasn't possible."