Sunderland are keeping tabs on Kevin Doyle at Wolves and could be lining up a summer swoop for the striker.
Black Cats boss Steve Bruce expressed an interest in the striker during the summer when he was leaving Reading but Wolves won the race to sign him and he has gone on to impress despite being in a struggling side.
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy admits he faces a battle to keep the striker in the summer even if the club stay up but concedes he has no chance if they go down.
"If we go down, we have no chance of holding on to him," McCarthy told The Mirror."If we stay up, we might still have a problem because there will be a few interested. "
"We have seen all the teams now and I've not noticed many better players than him.
"I'm not doing a selling job saying that because I'm not telling other managers anything they don't know.
"He would not be out of place in the company of Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea."
As well as Sunderland, Aston Villa are known to be keen on the Republic of Ireland international.