Transfer news:Sunderland boss Roy Keane has played down suggestions he could try to land former Manchester United team-mate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during the January transfer window.

Speculation has been rife on Wearside for sometime that the 33-year-old Norwegian international could be a target. But Keane, who has also been linked with a move for striker Giuseppe Rossi, currently on loan at derby rivals Newcastle, insists there have been no discussions.

He said: "Ole is a good friend of mine who I talk to from time to time, but we have not discussed a move."

Solskjaer has returned to action this season after a lengthy lay-off with knee ligament damage, although the presence of Wayne Rooney and Louis Saha, coupled with the impending arrival of Henrik Larsson, has sparked rumours he could be up for grabs.

Keane had earlier confirmed his interest in Arsenal frontman Anthony Stokes, who is playing on loan at Falkirk, but is giving little else away about his targets as he prepares for a new year promotion push.

He said: "As far as Stokes goes, there has been no contact made by us with Arsenal at this time. I do not really want to get into talking about every rumour that goes around. Last week, for instance, I was strongly linked with a player I have got no interest in.

"As far as I can see, a lot of this is just agents talking up potential moves to get themselves an early Christmas present. There are plenty of good agents out there who do a good job in representing the interests of their players, but there are some that just like to talk their players up in the hope of getting moves here.

"I do not want to go down that road. If I am interested in a player, the club will go through the right channels. I will ring up the manager of the club concerned and speak directly to him."