Sunderland director of football Florent Ghisolfi (Image: Richard Sellers)
Sunderland director of football Florent Ghisolfi (Image: Richard Sellers)
SUNDERLAND and Toulouse remain in contact over Dayann Methalie after the left-back's move to the Stadium of Light stalled earlier this week.
Methalie arrived on Wearside on Sunday night to finalise his move to the Black Cats and a five-year contract had been agreed.
But a potential issue is then understood to have been discovered during the medical, which halted the deal. Methalie has now returned to France but it's understood Sunderland and Toulouse remain in dialogue. As things stand, the move remains very much in the balance.
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The fact that the move didn't instantly collapse shows that there's a desire on all sides to still come to an agreement, if possible, but more medical tests will first be carried out.
The timescale at this stage is not clear, though the summer transfer window closes in less than a fortnight.
Sunderland will clearly want clarity and assurances given the financial outlay.
The Black Cats were thrilled to have made a breakthrough in their long pursuit of Methalie last week, with the 20-year-old having been identified as the top left-back target this summer.
Sunderland had agreed a £25.7m deal - £24m up-front - and Methalie arrived in the North East to complete his move. His squad number had been selected and Methalie had been for a look around the Stadium of Light only to then learn about the medical issue.
Sunderland officials are continuing their work to try and further strengthen their squad, with a wide attacker another leading priority.
How their pursuit of wide attacking targets plays out could determine what happens with Jocelin Ta Bi this season, with reports emerging from France claiming a number of clubs have enquired about signing the young winger on loan.
Lorient, Le Havre, Nice and Lyon have all been linked with Ta Bi, as have West Ham, Hull City and Burnley.
Regis Le Bris said at the end of last season that Sunderland would likely keep Ta Bi this summer rather than send the winger out on loan, with the head coach of the belief that the 21-year-old would learn a lot from a year of training with the first team and featuring from the bench.
But if Sunderland manage to strengthen on the flanks, they'll weigh up whether Ta Bi is still better served staying on Wearside or spending the season elsewhere.