Sunderland agree £25.6m deal for Toulouse left-back Methalie as Premier League return looms

Sunderland have agreed a £25.6m fee to sign 20-year-old French left-back Dayann Methalie from Toulouse, according to BBC Sport.

The deal structure is an initial £23.9m, with a further £1.7m in potential add-ons — extra payments tied to the player meeting certain performance targets. A verbal agreement is in place, and Methalie is expected to undergo a medical before the transfer is completed.

It has not been a straightforward pursuit. According to L'Équipe, Toulouse directors rejected a fourth Sunderland offer for the defender as recently as 5 August, even though personal terms with the player had already been agreed and a bid exceeding €25m was reportedly ready to be launched. Ten days on, the French club have apparently found a number they can accept.

Methalie made 28 appearances for Toulouse in Ligue 1 — France's top flight — last season, scoring twice in his final three games as the club finished ninth. A 20-year-old left-back finishing the campaign with goals suggests a player growing into the attacking side of the position, not merely a steady defensive option.

For Sunderland, this is a window with added pressure. The club will compete in European competition for the first time in 53 years, a return that demands a deeper, more versatile squad than a domestic-only season requires. Their Premier League campaign kicks off at Ipswich Town on Saturday, 22 August at 15:00 BST.

So far, Belgium right-back Thomas Meunier — signed on a free transfer from Lille — is Sunderland's only completed signing of the window. That makes the Methalie agreement all the more urgent: a club stepping back onto the continental stage needs bodies through the door, and quickly.

For fans, this deal signals intent. Sunderland are not merely stocking up for survival; they are spending serious money on a young defender with first-team minutes in one of Europe's stronger leagues. Whether Methalie adapts to the pace and physicality of English football remains the open question every continental signing carries. But the talent, the age, and the price tag all point to a club backing itself for the season ahead.