Sunderland manager Peter Reid has said that he had had his eye on Town striker Marcus Stewart for some while. The Black Cats' move for Stewart had long been reported, even back to early May, even before Town's relegation.

Reid said at today's press conference: "There's now good competition in all areas of the squad and I'm glad we've got Tore [Andre Flo] and Marcus. I've been working like a mad man to try to get them in.

"When you look at Flo, Stewart, Phillips, Quinn, Kyle, Piper and Bellion, we're now strong in that department.

"Marcus is a player I've had my eye on for a long time and when I found out of his available I wasted no time trying to sign him.

"He's got great ability in and around the box and is a clever and ambitious player. He's scored goals at every level."

Stewart's fee remains the subject of some conjecture. As reported earlier we are led to understand that Town could be getting as little as £650,000 for the striker while a number of sources are quoting the £3.25 million referred to in our later report.

Sunderland's outlay of £10 million for both Stewart and Flo could well include signing-on fees as well as the actual fee and therefore it seems likely that our report's suggestion of a low fee is probably nearer the mark.

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