A day after admitting defeat in his pursuit of Portsmouth frontman Peter Crouch, the 48-year-old was refocusing his search for added firepower.

The Black Cats have a long-held interest in Tottenham's Darren Bent and ironically, the London club's own hopes of landing Crouch could open the door for the Wearsiders to make their move.

There has been contact between the two clubs since the end of last season, although with Spurs wanting to recoup as much as they can of the £16.5million they paid Charlton for his services two summers ago, the asking price is reportedly in excess of the £12million Sunderland were prepared to pay for Crouch.

Whether that remains the case as Redknapp attempts to raise funds quickly remains to be seen.

In any case, Sunderland have options with £8million-rated Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh having revealed they are leading the race - also thought to involve Blackburn, Spurs and Fulham, but not Arsenal - to sign him.

Chamakh told L'Equipe: "The most advanced contact is with Sunderland.

"If for some people it isn't a very big club, it is suitable for me. I know it can be a step up and that is my wish."

Bordeaux are resigned to losing a player they would like to keep hold of, while Lyon's hopes of persuading him to stay in France look doomed to failure.

Sunderland's interest in the Moroccan international is genuine and ongoing, and Bruce will hope for good news on the transfer front as he and his players prepare to head from their training camp in Portugal to the Amsterdam Tournament, where they open their campaign against Benfica on Friday.

The manager has already received an off-the-field boost, however, with the news that his predecessor, Ricky Sbragia, has accepted his offer to head up the club's new-look scouting network.

Chairman Niall Quinn was keen to retain the 52-year-old Scot's services in some capacity and promised him a job for life in his gratitude for the role he played in preserving the club's top-flight status under difficult circumstances last season.

A delighted Bruce said: "Ricky has a wealth of knowledge and experience and I'm delighted that he will be heading up our scouting operation.

"He has a vast network of contacts and he knows just what it takes to be a successful footballer at this club, so I'm sure he will be a fantastic asset to our backroom team."