North East battle to sign Sochaux striker Published 22:57 24/09/11 By Brian McNally Recommend . Rivals Newcastle and *Sunderland face a January showdown for Sochaux *striker Modibo Maiga. The Black Cats are poised to go head-to-head with their neighbours over the 23-year-old Mali star. Newcastle were bitterly disappointed not to land him before the August transfer window closed. Maiga, who was involved in a strike row with his club in August, is determined to land a dream move to the Premier League and named Newcastle as his preferred destination. But the Black Cats interest could spark a North-East bidding war. Newcastle thought they had all but completed a £7m deal for Maiga before Sochaux began playing hard ball over the fee. But Bruce is keen to add another striker to his squad, despite securing Niklas Bendtner on loan from *Arsenal as cover for *Asamoah Gyan. Not sure how many strikers that is, and we have weeks to go..
