Sunderland have agreed a club-record £30m deal to sign Habib Diarra from Ligue 1 side Strasbourg.
The Black Cats will pay £27m up-front plus £3m in add-ons for the Senegal midfielder.
The 21-year-old, who scored for Senegal against England in a friendly earlier this month, is now set for a medical before signing his contract.
Diarra scored against England earlier in June
Diarra’s arrival sees him is a direct replacement for Jobe Bellingham, who joined Borussia Dortmund for an initial £27.8m fee, with all of that transfer fee committed to pay for the Senegal international.
Sunderland beat off plenty of competition for Diarra’s signature, including from fellow newly-promoted Premier League side Leeds.
It is another club-record deal for Sunderland following their promotion to the top flight, with their previous record only standing for four weeks after signing Enzo Le Fee from Roma for £20m.
Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season
From next season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.
And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports.
