On-loan midfielder Sulley Muntari won't be able to secure a permanent contract at Sunderland, who have declined the option to sign him. "There is no chance at Sunderland for Sulley. They have decided he is too expensive," his agent Fabien Piveteau was quoted as saying on the website kickoff.com. The 26-year-old international player was seeking to play regular football after a torrid period at Inter Milan. He took a £20,000 pay-cut to join the Black Cats on a six-month loan deal to earn a weekly salary of £55,000 instead of the £75,000 he used to touch with the European and Italian Champions. Muntari played eight games with Sunderland but failed to rescue them; they seemed to be going downhill since his arrival, winning only once in 10 games. Fellow countryman John Mensah is also set to return to his home club Lyon in France after missing big parts of the season because of his chronic back problems. Coach Steve Bruce has always hailed him as one of the best defenders he has ever worked with, but the 28-year-old international player has played only 32 league games since his arrival in summer 2009. At the same time, star striker Asamoah Gyan has made a big impact at the Stadium of Lights, scoring 10 goals so far and attracting the attention of some Premier League clubs. The 25-year-old striker has been linked with a move to Tottenham and has reportedly agreed terms with the London-based side.
