Town are reported to have made an offer to Sunderland for Hungarian international keeper Marton Fulop. TWTD first reported the Blues’ interest in the 27-year-old in May.

Town are now said to have tabled a £1 million bid for Fulop, who has a year left on his Sunderland contact. The keeper is said to be weighing up his options with other clubs also likely to be targeting him.

Fulop, an international team-mate and close friend of Tamás Priskin, started his career with MTK Hungaria during which time he went on loan to Elöre and Siófok, also in his homeland.

After a three-day trial in July 2004, the 6ft 5in tall keeper joined Spurs. In 2004/05 he spent time on loan at Chesterfield, then the following season moved on to Coventry on a similar basis.

In November 2006 he joined Sunderland, making his move to the Stadium of Light a permanent one in the following January for a fee of £900,000.

Fulop, who has won 21 Hungarian caps, moved on loan to Leicester in August 2007 and was expected to stay with the Foxes until the end of the season. However, after the clubs failed to agree a fee for his permanent move to the Walkers Stadium in the following January — Leicester offered £1 million, Sunderland wanted £3 million — he returned to Wearside.

In February 2008 he briefly joined Stoke on loan but was recalled after four days to cover an injury at Sunderland, however, the Potters and Black Cats agreed a £3 million fee that summer but the move eventually broke down.

Last season Fulop made only 14 appearances for the Black Cats with Craig Gordon currently the first choice and Trevor Carson the regular sub. More recently Belgian U21 international Simon Mignolet has also moved to the Stadium of Light.

Towards the end of the campaign Fulop joined Manchester City on an emergency loan basis as cover for the injured Shay Given, but his move to Eastlands was never expected to stretch beyond the final games of the Premier League season.

Blues boss Roy Keane has stated that he likes to have three keepers in his squad and with Richard Wright departing in the summer will want an additional glovesman to compete with Brian Murphy and Arran Lee-Barrett.

Photo: Action Images

mripswichtown added 17:00 - Jul 21 we have too many boo boys fans! we need to get behind the team and keane! come on get a grip!
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naa added 17:05 - Jul 21 Depends what you mean by boo boy fans. I never have and never will boo the team. However, I will come on a comment section, designed to accept people's comment and voice my opinion. That's what the site is for! If I feel this signing is a bit pointless then I'll say so. I'm also finding it rather hard to get behind Keane at the moment as he hasn't done a single thing in close season to suggest this will be any better than last year's utterly, utterly woeful display of headless hoofball. But hey, I renewed my season ticket, so I must have some hope!

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stinkiusminkius added 17:08 - Jul 21 Im not convinced by Murphy, so feel Fulop would be an improvement, and cant believe he would come here to be back up (or that Keane would spend £1m for a back up). BUT I dont feel its the most pressing problem to address, and would imagine he would be on the higher end of our wage structure. Plus yet another Sunderland link is just hilarious. They cant have that many more rejects left for us, can they?

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Eireannach_gorm added 17:12 - Jul 21 This makes no sense. Surely Casper Ankergren who is on a free would be a better option. Interesting method of saving money by releasing Wright then paying a million to replace him.
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legoman added 17:18 - Jul 21 Another positive step forward. Well done Keano.
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bedsitfc added 17:19 - Jul 21 dont think anybody can blame keane for this yet as i seems to be a load of rubbish unless its one of 4 signings. keane has tried to sign at least 2 players but he has been let down by cleggy and M.E. we all must understand the need to cut the wage bill and the numbers in the squad as we dont want admin again and a small squad means a happier squad.
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denhamblue added 17:19 - Jul 21 lol,sorry but im finding this pre season,the biggest circus ive ever seen.
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SouperJim added 17:19 - Jul 21 Fulop is a far far better keeper than Richard Wright and Brian Murphy put together and would be a superb signing for us. Saw him on the box several times playing for Man City last season and he was top class, well worth a place in a premiership team. Ignore all the negative dross, if Keane could bring Fulop here for this sort of money it would be a master stroke, with the added benefit of it might give Priskin a lift in the process. Those of you whinging on about him being no better than Murphy, Keane only signing "Sunderland rejects", a keeper not being a priority and even suggesting that nobody should be signed regardless of merit before we sign a striker haven't got a ruddy clue. Your comments are so ignorant it's bloomin laughable.

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DrJeckyll added 17:20 - Jul 21 would be a good signing i think :-)
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denhamblue added 17:24 - Jul 21 suffolk and good,your post is the best one ive read here for ages,straight to the point,and cuts to the chase.Im glad im not the only one thinking were being run,and supported by a load of peanut butters,nice post mate!
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Bluetone added 17:24 - Jul 21 If it happens I hope Fulop won't prove to be another Flop
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Jimmy86 added 17:26 - Jul 21 for me if he is going to bring in Fulop then it should be as our number 1 keeper without a shadow of a doubt. Murphy isn't big or physical enough, plus his kicking is also quite erratic, 1 min he will belt the ball more or less the whole length of the pitch the nxt he skews 1 off between knee and waist heightthat only goes as far as our midfield !!! his lack of height and physical prescence cost us up at scunthorpe last season when they scored their goal, came at a cross and was nowwhere !!!

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SeriouslyDelusional added 17:28 - Jul 21 I disagree about this pre-season being a joke / depressing - at least we have a good idea of Keane's preferred starting 11 and I don't think it looks at all bad, although I know lots of people disagree. But unlike last season we should start with a relatively stable team that are used to playing with each other - it was all the chopping and changing and testing untried players that did for our bad start last time round. Plus, we have youngsters coming through, Wickham in fine form and Civelli hopefully back - what's not to be cheerful about?!

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JetaimePeters added 17:30 - Jul 21 I'd be happy with this signing, he has played very well every time I have seen him - he's probably more on the Begovic level than Murphy and is a good age. I'd like to think that Murphy is good enough and he has done pretty well but is younger and will make more errors. If we are going for promotion this year I see the sense in this, and if Murphy fights his way back in and has a blinder fair play to the young lad.

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Johnny_Boy added 17:49 - Jul 21 Classic. I assumed Brian Murphy was Keane's No.1
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yorksblue added 18:01 - Jul 21 Perhaps he can double up as a Centre Half
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Tractorog added 18:03 - Jul 21 Why all the negative comments about ex-Sunderland players? Keane obviously feels guilty having lead all this poor Hungarian lad to a god forsaken place like Sunderland the ship building capital of 19th Century Europe and wants to show them a vibrant, cultured place... like Woodbridge the ship burial capital of 9th Century Europe. As the venerable Bede used to say "It's grim up t' Deben"

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bluearmy4life added 18:05 - Jul 21 He is a good keeper but that is the last position we should be looking to strengthen are team. A striker is the most important place to fill and we are not looking any closer to getting one? This pre-season has been a total joke we have a manager who only has contacts in Ireland and sunderland. We are only two and half weeks till the new season and are we any stronger than last year?..........

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Back_The_Boss added 18:06 - Jul 21 Keane has no other contacts, all he is capable of getting is Irish and/or ex sunderland players.
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Juanforthemoney added 18:10 - Jul 21 Well with the way our potential defence is shaping up, perhaps RK is going to play them both at the same time! Does he actually look beyond Sunderland or Ireland?
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MaySixth added 18:19 - Jul 21 Good. Arran Lee Barrett is hugely overrated.
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RetroBlue added 18:25 - Jul 21 why do people assume Town are ONLY looking at a GK at this present time ?
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16_Jack_ken_16 added 18:40 - Jul 21 wow what a suprise sunderland
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streety86 added 18:52 - Jul 21 Oh dear
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runaround added 18:54 - Jul 21 This may just be an old story resurfacing as we were linked with him at end of last season. As many others have said I would rather we were bought a striker and right back before another keeper but who knows what is going on behind the scenes. If we get Chopra and Finnan for example and still have funds for Fulop then fair enough but if theres only enough funds, fee and wage wise for 2 players, I'd prefer a goalscorer and right back first

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