Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill has admitted that he would like to keep midfielder Stephane Sessegnon at the club.
The Benin international has been linked with a move away from the club, but O'Neill has admitted that he regards Sessegnon as one of his key players.
O'Neill told The Journal: "We would very much like to keep Stephane. Any manager would like to keep him.
"He gives us that extra creativity and he is very important to us, so I would genuinely like to keep him."
Sessegnon signed for Sunderland from Paris Saint-Germain in 2011.