Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the former Atlético Madrid defender is set to join Sunderland on a free transfer
Sunderland have agreed a deal to sign Reinildo Mandava on a free transfer from Atlético Madrid, with the 31-year-old set to become the club’s latest summer signing.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed the move on Sunday, stating: “Reinildo to Sunderland, here we go! Two year deal done for the left back set to join from Atlético Madrid.” The experienced defender joins following the expiry of his contract with the La Liga side, where he made 74 appearances across all competitions after arriving from Lille in 2022.
Reinildo featured at the Club World Cup earlier this year but fell down the pecking order in Madrid and will now bring valuable experience to a Sunderland squad being rebuilt for Premier League football. Romano also noted that after investing heavily in 20-year-old midfielder Habib Diarra, who has reportedly joined in a club-record £30million deal, Sunderland are now looking to strike the right balance between youth and experience.
Described as part of an “ambitious project,” the arrival of Reinildo signals another decisive move under owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, head coach Régis Le Bris, and incoming director of football Florent Ghisolfi. Sunderland are expected to continue their recruitment drive, with Armand Laurienté and Marcin Bulka among the players currently being monitored.
Romano’s full tweet read: “Reinildo to Sunderland, here we go! Two year deal done for the left back set to join from Atlético Madrid. After young investment on Diarra. #SAFC want to get right balance in terms of experience. Ambitious project with one more important addition.”
What other Sunderland-related news is there?
Sunderland's final pre-season friendlies have been confirmed after two games were announced for the final weekend before the Premier League campaign begins.
Rayo Vallecano, who finish eighth in La Liga last season, announced on Friday afternoon that they would face the Black Cats at the Stadium of Light on Sunday August 10th, with a kick off time of 4.30pm. The fixture has subsequently been confirmed by Sunderland.
The Black Cats have also confirmed that they will travel to the WWK Arena the day before (Saturday August 9th), for a fixture against Bundesliga side FC Augsburg. Augsburg finished 12th in the Bundesliga. Ticketing information for both of the final pre-season friendlies is set to be confirmed in due course.
Sunderland's players will return to the Academy of Light for pre-season testing next Friday (July 3rd), before beginning training in earnest the following week. Their pre-season schedule then kicks off with the now traditional double-header against Gateshead and South Shields.
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