BY WILL KUHNS, associate editor Claudio Reyna confirmed reports that English Premier League club Sunderland is trying to purchase his contract from Glasgow Rangers. Speaking to Soccer America from his home in Scotland on Tuesday, Reyna said, “At the moment it’s just stalled a bit and nothing is for sure. I can’t comment much about it right now, but there is an interest and it’s just a matter of whether the two clubs agree on a transfer fee. If and when that happens, then I can talk about it more.” Rangers coach Dick Advocaat told The Sunday Mail that Reyna “is 28 and desperate to play in the [English] Premiership” and that retaining the U.S. captain would be very difficult for his club. Reyna’s contract with Rangers expires at the end of the season, so the team would like to move him soon, while it can still garner a transfer fee. Reyna’s agent, Paul Stretford, told The Scotsman that Reyna has already turned down a contract offer from Rangers. “I understand one offer [to Rangers] for Claudio from [an English] Premiership club has been rejected,” Stretford said. “Claudio has never hidden his ambition to play in England at some stage of his career.” Reyna also commented on the U.S. team’s first-round opponents in the World Cup — Portugal, South Korea and Poland. “On paper [the draw] seems pretty good,” Reyna said. “It could be worse — that’s what everybody’s been saying — and I’d agree with that. Of all the top seeds, with all due respect, the South Korea was probably the weakest. The other two are good European teams. “We could have drawn teams with more experience, and these two haven’t been in the World Cup for a while now, but I don’t know how much that’s going to help us. “Without a doubt Portugal is the favorite to win the group and is one of my dark horses to go very far, so hopefully we can go through to the next round with them.” Reyna said he played against some of the current Polish national team players when he was with Wolfsburg of the German First Division. “They have big, strong players,” Reyna said. “Being over here and seeing the European qualification first-hand, I can say that how [Poland] did in the group they were in says enough about talent they have. To win that group — we have to respect them. I think we will. I think we are a group underdogs that people aren’t expecting much from and that’s a good approach entering the World Cup.”