The experienced right-back - a free agent after leaving Lille at the end of last season - arrived in the North East yesterday to complete his medical and put the finishing touches to his move to the Black Cats.
Meunier had options this summer, with Valencia one of the clubs interested in the 34-year-old. But Sunderland swooped and talks progressed quickly.
It's a signing that makes sense.
For all Meunier will turn 35 in September, he started 42 league games for Lille over the course of the last two campaigns and was a regular in the Champions League and Europa League.
He was a member of the Belgium squad who were knocked out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage by Spain, with the defender making three appearances, two of which were starts.
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He comes armed with plenty of experience at the highest level.
His World Cup appearances took his tally of Belgium caps to 83. Meunier was a key figure for Belgium back in the 2018 World Cup, when he scored in the third-place play-off clash with England.
At club level, Meunier was at Trabzonspor before joining Lille two summers ago, but prior to his three-month stint in Turkey, played for European giants Dortmund and PSG.
Indeed, he was a target for Sunderland a decade ago, when he'd impressed in his homeland with Club Brugge, but it was that summer he moved to PSG, making more than 80 appearances in the French capital.
In terms of why Sunderland revisited their interest in Meunier this summer, cover and competition for Trai Hume was one of the boxes the Black Cats wanted to tick.
Nordi Mukiele was able to cover at right-back when Hume was unavailable or needed in a different position last term, but Regis Le Bris ideally wants to play the Frenchman in the heart of his defence.
With Sunderland planning for the Europa League and the extra workload, squad depth is required and full-back is one area where the Black Cats looked thin last season.
The arrival of Meunier suggests a permanent move for Lutsharel Geertruida is increasingly unlikely.
Geertruida's versatility was an extremely useful asset last season, with the Dutchman playing in midfield and comfortable across the defence. But it would cost in the region of €20m to make his move from Leipzig permanent.
And while, ideally, Le Bris would again like to be able to call on Geertruida next term, Meunier is a low-cost option that doesn't eat into Sunderland's budget as the recruitment team focus on strengthening in priority areas of the pitch.
At least one wide player and a striker are priority signings for the Black Cats, who have lost Eliezer Mayenda since the end of the season and opted against extending Bertrand Traore's contract.
Florent Ghisolfi has stressed on more than one occasion that Sunderland's priority this summer is quality rather than quantity, but that doesn't mean they won't take the opportunity to make signings like Meunier, where they feel depth is required.
Sunderland's recruitment officials struck a good balance last summer between young players with room for growth and potential resale value and experienced stars such as Granit Xhaka and Reinildo.
"We are finding connection and this is the most important thing," said Ghisolfi last month, outlining Sunderland's strategy.
"I’m not sure we need more quantity, we need more quality," One thing I’m sure of is that if someone is coming in the team, because we have this cohesion, it needs to be a fit with the Sunderland values.
"I like to think that last summer was a rush, was a sprint. For me this one is a marathon, more precise."
Sunderland have already received one huge boost this summer, with Granit Xhaka committing himself to the club amid interest from Chelsea.
Xhaka had initially indicated a desire to reunite with his former boss Xabi Alonso at Stamford Bridge, but Sunderland rejected a Chelsea offer and made it clear their captain was absolutely not for sale.
Following discussions with Sunderland officials, Xhaka reaffirmed his commitment to the Black Cats, bringing the matter to a close.
Alonso was this week asked about his failed pursuit of Xhaka in his first Chelsea press conference.
The Spaniard said: "Regarding players that are not in the building and rumours, I know you love them, but it’s not right for me to comment on those things."
Xhaka is currently on a break following Switzerland's World Cup defeat to Argentina and will link up with Sunderland for pre-season later this month.