Asamoah Gyan finally joins Sunderland

Asamoah Gyan

Rennes striker Asamoah Gyan has joined Sunderland in a club-record £12million move. The Ghanaian was one of the stars of this summer's World Cup and was shortlisted alongside Wesley Sneijder and Diego Forlan for player of the tournament.

The Black Cats were hot in his tail after his international exploits but an initial £7m bid was well short of the French club's valuation.

Gyan played much of the tournament alone up front and finished with three goals before fluffing his lines at the crucial time, missing a last-minute penalty against Uruguay in the quarter-final.

Sunderland's need for a striker was exacerbated by a potentially serious knee injury sustained by Frazier Campbell in the club's 1-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday.

Kenwyne Jones has already left the Stadium of Light for £8m this summer, freeing up funds for the move for Gyan.

The 24-year-old scored 13 times in 27 Ligue 1 appearances last term and has also helped his club to second in the French top flight this campaign.