Sunderland agree £25.6m fee for defender Dayann Methalie

Sunderland have struck a verbal agreement with French club Toulouse to sign left-back Dayann Methalie, with an initial fee of £23.9m plus up to £1.7m in add-ons, taking the total to £25.6m. The 20-year-old French defender is now expected to undergo a medical before the move is finalised.

Methalie made 28 Ligue 1 appearances for Toulouse last season and scored twice in his final three matches, as the club finished the campaign in ninth place.

The agreement caps a lengthy pursuit of the player by Sunderland, whose manager Regis Le Bris is looking to bolster the club's defensive options ahead of the new Premier League season. Sunderland open their campaign away at Ipswich Town next Saturday at 15:00 BST.

Building squad depth

Having qualified for European competition for the first time in 53 years, Sunderland are also working to add depth across their squad to cope with the extra fixtures. So far this transfer window, the club's only completed signing has been Belgium right-back Thomas Meunier, who joined on a free transfer from Lille.