SUNDERLAND have put a £20 million asking price on Jordan Henderson as Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City prepare to battle for his signature.
Jordan Henderson became a Sunderland central midfielder under Roy Keane two seasons ago
Midfielder Henderson has been in great form for Sunderland and is on the verge of a full England call-up after impressing for the Under-21s.
England manager Fabio Capello is sending right-hand man Franco Baldini to check on Henderson, 20, in Sunderland’s trip to Newcastle on Sunday, with a view to selecting him for the friendly against France on November 17. Henderson is not pushing to leave the Stadium of Light but the club are bracing themselves for some big bids in the January transfer window.
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce knows he has to sell before he can make any serious moves into the transfer market again and will find it difficult to turn away United, Chelsea or City if they get close to the club’s price tag.
United and City have players on loan at Sunderland, striker Danny Welbeck and defender Nedum Onuoha, who could be used as makeweights in any potential deal. Bruce admitted recently he could struggle to hold on to Henderson, saying:
“You know that when the big boys come, then you are
up against it and we have to be realistic about that.
“I was a player a long time ago and every player wants
to go on and achieve. We will have to deal with that if and when the
time is right.”
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson
personally ran the rule over Henderson when he played for Sunderland
against Blackburn two weeks ago while Chelsea are keen to bolster their
squad in January.
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