Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe is refusing to allow speculation over his future distract him from the business of scoring goals for the Black Cats.
Former club West Ham had a £6 million bid for the 34-year-old rejected early last month, leaving Sunderland fans worrying for the rest of the transfer window over whether he would remain at the Stadium of Light.
However, Defoe ended up staying put and continued his good form, adding five goals in as many Premier League games since the turn of the year to the nine he scored during the first half of the campaign.
"I'm totally focused on scoring goals, I'm totally focused on helping this football club stay in the Premier League," Defoe told talkSPORT. "For me, that's the best way to approach it so I'm not distracted. I'll just keep my head down and work hard.
"Even with the speculation about West Ham, it's always nice when you're wanted. But at the end of the day, I've been a part of this game for a long time and that's part and parcel of it now, so it was easy for me to see it and just think, 'OK, that's nice people want me, but I've got to be focused on Sunderland.'''
Defoe's prowess in front of goal has given Sunderland manager David Moyes fresh hope that the club can get themselves out of relegation trouble once again, and the double he claimed in last Saturday's stunning 4-0 victory at Crystal Palace helped to raise spirits significantly.
He has carried the burden of providing the bulk of the goals ever since his arrival from Toronto in January 2015, but it is one which does not weigh heavily on his shoulders.
"It's a lot of pressure, but it's not something I really think about,'' Defoe said. "It's not something that gets to me. I think I quite enjoy it, if I'm being totally honest. I realise how important the goals are, so I totally dedicate myself to preparing in the correct way so I'm ready to go.''