SUNDERLAND are reportedly prepared to bid £8m for Man City midfielder Stephen Ireland.

The 21-year-old's contract expires at the end of next season, and he has been involved in a number of high-profile incidents this season - most prominent was when he pulled out of the Republic of Ireland squad in September after claiming that his grandmother had passed away.

This was uncovered as a lie, at which point the player insisted it was a different grandmother who had died – which was also revealed to be false.

He eventually admitted that he had returned home to comfort his girlfriend, who had suffered a miscarriage.

Sunderland boss Roy Keane got a first-hand glimpse of Ireland's bizarre behaviour when he revealed his Superman underpants after scoring the winner against the Black Cats at Eastlands, in November.

But the Black Cats boss nonetheless expressed his admiration for his young compatriot, insisting that his qualities as a footballer are more important than his character flaws, reports Goal.com.

He said: "Whatever problems he has, he is a very, very good player."