Thursday 9 February 2017 16:37, UK
Jermain Defoe is not letting speculation over his future get in the way of scoring vital goals in Sunderland's fight against relegation.
The Black Cats rejected a £6million bid for the striker from his former team West Ham in January and since the turn of the year, he has added five goals to the nine scored during the first half of the season.
Defoe told talkSPORT: "I'm totally focused on scoring goals; I'm totally focused on helping this football club stay in the Premier League.
"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, 'Okay, that's nice people want me, but I've got to be focused on Sunderland'."
He led the way for Sunderland last weekend, bagging two goals in their 4-0 romp of Crystal Palace giving David Moyes fresh hope that they survive another season in the Premier League.
Defoe, who has been partnered up front with Adnan Januzaj in recent weeks, was Sunderland's top scorer last season with 15 league goals but insists he is not affected by the pressure to score goals.
"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."
Bottom-placed Sunderland take on Southampton at the Stadium of Light on Saturday looking for back-to-back wins for the first time in the league this season.
