Wolves utility man Stephen Ward has urged Kevin Doyle to choose Molineux over Sunderland and Bolton.

Reports suggest the £6.5million-rated Reading striker has told friends he is ready to turn his back on Wolves and Bolton, opting for Sunderland instead.

New Black Cats boss Steve Bruce reportedly wants to pair Doyle up with Tottenham striker Darren Bent, while he has earmarked Manchester United’s Fraizer Campbell as a back-up option.

But Wolves are still serious about their interest, after becoming the first club to hold talks with the 25-year-old.

Ward believes the Premier League new-boys can offer his fellow Irishman a serious option.

The 23-year-old said: “Trying to sign Kevin is definitely a statement of the club’s ambition and it comes from the chairman, because that’s how he’s been from day one.

“It would be a massive statement from the club if we could sign him. The Irish connection is obviously a big thing in our favour for him.

“There’s a few lads here who know him – I’ve played against him over in Ireland and since he’s been here with Reading. He also knows Andy Keogh and Kevin Foley from the Irish set-up.

“The club sells itself with the manager and I know Kevin will have been impressed by what he was told.

“We’re a club on the up, we’re all around the same age and hungry for success. We feel we can go places.

“We’ve got goals in our strikeforce with four quality strikers, but he’s another to add to the mix. He’s already shown he can score goals in the Championship and the Premier League.

“Our strikers have proved they can score goals in the Championship and I have no doubt they can do it in the Premier League.

“But if Kevin comes, then it’s more competition. If we could get him, it would add to what we’ve got.”