Sunderland are eyeing a £3million swoop for Middlesbrough midfielder George Boateng but Gareth Southgate is keen to keep hold of the Dutchman.Roy Keane is seeking to add more Premier League experience to his Sunderland squad over the summer, and the manager has been handed a transfer war-chest by the Black Cats board as he seeks to take the club to the next level.

Boateng made 29 Premier League starts last season for Boro but the 32-year-old is keen to play first team football next season which he knows is by no means guaranteed at the Riverside.

Southgate said: "I'd like him to stay.

"If he does, he knows he would be an important part of the squad. There would be no guarantee that he would be in the side, but there'd be no guarantee that he wouldn't."

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