Rangers boss Alex McLeish insists that the sale of striker Tore Andre Flo to Sunderland remains a possibility.

Sunderland manager Peter Reid is keen to bring in a big-name striker as soon as possible, having been turned down by Leeds United's Robbie Keane.

Rangers have indicated a willingness to sell a player who cost a Scottish record �12m two seasons ago.

But it is understood that Flo is reluctant to leave Ibrox as his family are settled in Glasgow.

"I'm not ruling anything in and I'm not ruling anything out," said McLeish.

"I have not been told that the deal to take Tore to Sunderland is dead.

"That said, I'm preparing for the weekend game with Hibs as normal and I expect Tore to be professional about the whole thing because he knows the way things are in football."

Reid has admitted that he is finding it difficult to attract players to a club that struggled in the English Premiership last season.

But the Black Cats boss made clear his intention to bring in a striker on Friday when he left the number nine shirt vacant.

The previous recipient of that shirt, Niall Quinn, has been handed the number 29 shirt as he plays a more reduced role on the pitch.

McLeish, meanwhile, has been told he must sell before he can buy because of the club's debts and Rangers are prepared to accept more than �5m less than they paid to move Flo on.

Any transfer would lead McLeish to renew his pursuit of Hibernian's Scotland international striker, Garry O'Connor.

Injury-jinxed Dutch striker Michael Mols had been training with Sunderland in a bid to prove his fitness ahead of a more small-scale transfer.

But, while Flo was missing from Rangers' training session on Friday morning, BBC Scotland cameras filmed Mols' return to the Ibrox club's Murray Park practice ground.

Sunderland remain interested in 31-year-old Mols but are seeking medical assurances about his fitness before proceeding with any transfer.