Blackburn Rovers boss Sam Allardyce is ready to swoop for Sunderland's giant hit man Kenwyne Jones - if his pal Steve Bruce lands his big-money targets.
Allardyce fancies the Trinidad and Tobago striker as an ideal replacement for Roque Santa Cruz and hopes that Bruce is successful in his chase for Darren Bent and Peter Crouch to make the move possible.
Bruce is in for Bent and Crouch ahead of Allardyce, with Sunderland's extra spending power giving him genuine hope he can land the pair from Tottenham and Portsmouth.
The Rovers chief revealed that he is 'waiting to see what players become available after their clubs make signings - and Jones could suddenly be out of Sunderland's starting line-up.
Jones had a hit-and-miss season at Sunderland and Bruce has shown that he wants to strengthen by bidding for the England pair. He hopes to land Bent from Spurs if the price becomes sensible and work on getting Crouch who would prefer to stay down south.
Allardyce would pay around £8 to £9 million for Jones, whose value has dipped since Tottenham inquired for him in the last transfer window. Spurs have since gone off him.
Rovers have drawn blanks in their chase for strikers to lead the line, with several European targets proving too expensive and top choice Kevin Davies not for sale at Bolton.
Allardyce has been given a kitty to land the right man and is prepared to wait for Jones to become available. He is the type of physical front man he needs for his style of play.