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5 hours ago
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Sunderland are poised to sign the long-time Newcastle target Dayann Methalie from Toulouse. The France Under-21s defender, who can play left-back or wingback and also operate in the centre, has attracted widespread interest this summer but Régis Le Bris now appears close to acquiring him for about £26m.
Newcastle had extensively scouted Methalie, who made 27 Ligue 1 appearances for Toulouse last season, and reportedly tried to sign him in January. The club have now indicated they opted against the idea of recruiting the 20-year-old and have not submitted a bid this summer. Nonetheless, Methalie appeared an ideal fit for Newcastle’s new transfer policy of recruiting young players in the £20m-£40m price bracket.
Sunderland can offer the 6ft 2in defender Europa League football and he is understood to have verbally agreed a five-year deal at the Stadium of Light, where he would not merely be coached by a compatriot in Le Bris but be part of a sizeable contingent of French-speaking players including Enzo Le Fée, Nordi Mukiele and Habib Diarra. Methalie will be Le Bris’s second summer signing after the arrival of the Belgium right-back Thomas Meunier, who arrived on a free transfer after leaving Lille.
While Methalie is likely to face considerable competition from Reinildo to establish himself as Sunderland’s first-choice left-back, his amalgam of impressive recovery pace, robust physicality and assured left foot have seen him shine as a left-sided central defender in a back three and a back four.
Newcastle, meanwhile, remain in the market for cover at left-back and right-back, with the latter position one Eddie Howe is particularly anxious to reinforce after Kieran Trippier’s departure at the end of last season.
Howe’s hopes of keeping Bruno Guimarães appear to still rest on Arsenal’s willingness or otherwise to pay a fee in the region of £80m for the 28-year-old captain, who has been on a post-World Cup holiday in Brazil and is due to return to Newcastle on Friday, before travelling to a training camp at La Manga with the rest of the first-team squad.
Joe Willock’s future at St James’ Park also remains uncertain. Although Newcastle have rejected an offer in the region of £10m from Besiktas for the former Arsenal midfielder, they appear open to selling him, albeit for a fee closer to £20m.
