Sunderland duo in Ipswich talks

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has confirmed that Ipswich have been given permission to talk to midfielders Carlos Edwards and Grant Leadbitter.

Former Black Cats boss Roy Keane, now in charge at Portman Road, has made a joint bid to recruit the two men after a dreadful start to his side’s Coca-Cola Championship campaign.

Bruce said: “We have given both players permission to go and speak with Roy. We’ll see what develops after that.”

Bruce also confirmed that defender Paul McShane has had a medical at Hull, where he spent the first half of last season on loan, with a view to completing a £2m permanent switch to the KC Stadium.

However, he said he was not aware of suggestions that Ipswich were also interested in defender Nyron Nosworthy and striker Daryl Murphy.

In addition, he revealed that his interest in Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh is over, and revealed he has been put off his pursuit of Portsmouth defender Sylvain Distin because of the asking price.

On Distin, Bruce said: “There’s nothing there. The valuation, in my opinion, is too high for somebody who is nearly 32 years old.”