John Park will "resist" any attempt to bring him back to Celtic - according to a report.
The former Parkhead chief scout has been linked with a director of football post at Sunderland despite speculation he could return to Glasgow.
Park unearthed the likes of Victor Wanyama and Virgil van Dijk during his stint with the Hoops before Brendan Rodgers replaced him with Lee Congerton in 2016.
According to The Scottish Sun , he's "fully committed" to joining the Black Cats and is believed to be excited by plans to haul the club back into the Premier League.
A consortium led by US stockbroker is expected to complete a takeover of the Wearside club before the start of next season.
Meanwhile, the Hoops are set to miss out on Luton Town's James Justin but are said to have opened talks with Sheffiled United over George Baldock.
The club are in the market for a right-back this summer, despite Mikael Lustig being offered a new two-year deal.
Record Sport exclusively revealed earlier on Wednesday that Justin is a target for Brendan Rodgers at Leicester City, having been alerted to the defender by Congerton.
Baldock, meanwhile, is entering the final year of his deal with the Blades and is claimed to be interested in speaking to the club.
