CELTIC have made a last-ditch attempt to scupper midfielder Tommy Miller's proposed move to Sunderland.

Miller, who is currently out of the country on honeymoon after being married on Saturday, is expected to reveal his future plans when he returns at the end of the month.

Sunderland officials are confident of luring him to the Stadium of Light after holding a series of talks with his father, Tommy Snr, in which the terms of a proposed move north were discussed.

Miller's current club, Ipswich, have offered the 26-year-old a new two-year deal but, after missing out on promotion to the Premiership last month, the Suffolk side have privately conceded they no longer have the resources to retain his services.

Leeds have also been in contact with Miller but, despite the bullish intent of chairman Ken Bates, the midfielder is understood to have rejected all talk of another season in the Championship.

That seemed to have left Sunderland in the driving seat, but the situation changed again at the end of last week when Celtic contacted the Shotton Colliery-born star to reveal their interest.

New Bhoys boss Gordon Strachan has assembled a list of transfer targets after meeting with both the Celtic board and outgoing manager Martin O'Neill, and Miller's name is understood to appear prominently on it.

The native North-Easterner must now decide whether to return to his roots or move north of the border in pursuit of Champions League football.

Celtic have the financial muscle to match any offer Sunderland will be able to put on the table and Miller's Scottish roots - his grandmother was born in the country - mean that a move to Scotland could be the best way to further his international ambitions.

Sunderland remain confident of securing his services though, with officials still expecting him to be on board by the time the Black Cats leave for their tour of North America in early July.

Celtic are currently pursuing transfer targets on a number of fronts and Newcastle centre-half Andy O'Brien is another player attracting Strachan's attention.

The former Bradford defender signed a new five-year deal on Tyneside towards the end of last season but, with Graeme Souness currently tracking Hamburg centre-half Daniel Van Buyten and both Titus Bramble and Jean-Alain Boumsong firmly established in the United pecking order, the Irishman is far from happy with his lot.

Souness has already reduced his defensive options by selling Aaron Hughes to Aston Villa for £1.5m and, while O'Brien's reliability makes him a useful asset, the Scot is ready to offload him if Celtic offer a similar fee.

* Sunderland officials are confident of completing the signature of Ipswich goalkeeper Kelvin Davis later this week.

The Black Cats have agreed a fee with David Sheepshanks - the Ipswich chairman claims it is £1m rather than the £750,000 cited last week - and are hopeful of completing negotiations.

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