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Proof, if it were needed, of exactly how much Roy Keane has brought on Sunderland during his tenure at the Stadium of Light can be found in the sheer volume of applicants for the now vacant hot seat.

Depending on which newspaper you read, anywhere between 33 (The Independent on Sunday) and 60 (The Mail on Sunday) out-of-work managers have applied to replace Keane at the Stadium of Light.

It is a measure of how highly the club is now regarded - not to mention how well it is run under chairman Niall Quinn - that so many "serious" candidates are interested in the job. Most clubs would count themselves lucky to attract a dozen applicants, but 30?

The Daily Star Sunday identifies former Black Cats boss Peter Reid as a good outside bet to return to the club he managed between 1995 and 2002, even though his good friend and former team-mate and colleague Sam Allardyce is the current favourite.

But the Sunday Mirror has former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier leading the race with Alan Curbishley not far behind in the running. Either one, the paper claims, will be given a £30 million transfer kitty to splash in January. Tempting indeed.

But even that kind of money burning a hole in Sunderland's metaphorical pockets is unlikely to deflect attention from shopaholics Manchester City in the new year.

The amount of players City have been linked with far outweighs even the number of managers who have applied for the Sunderland job, the latest world star to be touted for a move to the blue half of Manchester being Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery.

The France international - whose modesty recently forced him to admit he was upset not to have finished higher on the Ballon d'Or list - has become a "top target" for City boss Mark Hughes, according to the Daily Star Sunday.

If City's owners have as much regard for the player as he does for himself, the £17m Bayern paid for him 18 months ago could pale into insignificance alongside any bid City may table.

Meanwhile, Eastlands is bracing itself for a deluge of easy Iberian real estate-based puns after the News of the World revealed City are preparing to buy, wait for it, a "Spanish Villa".

But while Ashley Cole and his lovely wife Cheryl got theirs on the cheap - a mere £5m - cash-rich City are willing to spend an incredible £52m on a prime asset of their own: Valencia's David Villa.

The News of the World claims Villa's agent will jet into England this week to discuss a £160,000-a-week deal which will make the Spain international the Premier League's top earner, alongside Robinho.

But Hughes fears he could be on the verge of losing Daniel Sturridge to Chelsea after talks over a new contract stalled. The 19-year-old rates himself as a £60,000-a-week player; the only problem being that no one else at City does, leaving the door open to a move with just six months left on his current deal.

Across town at Old Trafford, Alex Ferguson may have insisted there will be no dealings once the transfer window is flung open, but that's not what his own Manchester United squad want.

According to the News of the World, United players are constantly asking their team-mate Danny Simpson - currently on loan at Blackburn - about Roque Santa Cruz. Assuming said inquiries do not centre on what shampoo the Paraguayan likes to use or who he wants to win X-Factor, United could yet make a January bid for the old-fashioned centre forward - something the champions' otherwise strong squad does not have at the moment.

The same newspaper carries a story on United midfielder Anderson , who is keen on linking up with Jose Mourinho at Internazionale . "I am thinking about playing in Italy. My dream is to be coached by Mourinho," the Brazilian told an un-named Italian newspaper. Ferguson is yet to respond, but when he does, the fireworks are likely to rival those over Sydney Harbour Bridge on New Year's Eve.

Oh, and Rio Ferdinand is set to hang up his boots once his current deal with United expires. Probably to pursue a career as a record producer/merk artist/professional Snoop wannabe.

To North London, where Robbie Keane has become a target for his former club Tottenham. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is hoping to bring the Irishman back to White Hart Lane after his "dream move" to Liverpool has turned out to be more of a nightmare. The Sunday Mirror suggests a loan deal until the end of the season is in the offing.

And Redknapp is also on the verge of swooping for Middlesbrough midfielder Stewart Downing, with The Mail on Sunday reporting a £12m bid is lined up to reunite the England winger with his close pal from the North East Jonathan Woodgate.

Speaking of the North East, Pini Zahavi is set to buy out Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, according to the Sunday Mirror. The super-agent is acting for a group who are interested in buying a Premier League club and, having undertaken a fact-finding mission, the Israeli will now report back to them before making a move.

In other news, Liverpool have targeted Croatia international Ivica Olic (Sunday Mirror), Nicolas Anelka has held secret talks with Paris St Germain (Daily Star Sunday), Stoke want £4m-rated Aston Villa striker Marlon Harewood and West Brom are eyeing a loan move for Arsenal starlet Carlos Vela (both News of the World). Phew.

Eurosport