Keane poised for new deal

ROY KEANE is reported to be on the verge of signing a new five-year contract with Sunderland.

The Black Cats are prepared to offer Keane €4.5million-a-year — a deal which would make him one of the highest-paid managers in England — to stay at the Stadium of Light until 2012.

Keane, 36, still has 18 months remaining on his current deal but his progress on Wearside has attracted the attention of a number of rival clubs. He has been touted as a possible successor to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, while the possibility of an opening at Newcastle — where Sam Allardyce is under pressure — would undoubtedly appeal to a man of Keane’s ambition.

Now, Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn is believed to want to stave off interest by offering him a bumper new deal.

Keane is also believed to have been handed a €30million transfer kitty to spend in the January transfer window, with Tottenham’s Jermain Defoe high on his list of potential recruits.