£30m star has chosen to join Sunderland

Sunderland supporters may be starting to feel a little bit impatient with the club’s transfer business as only one addition has been made during the summer window.

Their opening Premier League game against newly-promoted Ipswich Town at Portman Road is in less than two weeks, and they have only signed one player to bolster the squad.

Despite the extra eight matches of Europa League football that the squad will have to play this season, Thomas Meunier is the only incoming piece of business that has been done

The experienced defender has signed on a free transfer after his contract at Ligue 1 side Lille expired at the start of last month to add to Regis Le Bris‘ defensive ranks.

Where Thomas Meunier fits in at Sunderland

The 34-year-old star revealed in his first interview for the club that the chance to play European football at the Stadium of Light was one of the reasons why he opted to sign for the Black Cats.

Meunier could end up being Le Bris’ go-to option in the Europa League to give Nordi Mukiele and Trai Hume, the other right-backs in the squad, a breather.

The Sunderland boss will have to manage minutes between the Premier League and the Europa League, which is why the Belgian could be a valuable squad option for him this season.

Instead of being a first-choice starter week-in-week-out in all competitions, Meunier could fill in where needed to provide relief in a variety of positions, domestically and in Europe as an experienced back-up.

He could fit in, therefore, as a versatile player who can play in either full-back position or on the wing, providing valuable experience and quality when Le Bris needs to rest a starter.

Sunderland make offer to land better signing than Meunier

The club are now looking at another full-back addition who would arrive at the Stadium of Light as an even better signing than Meunier for the French boss.

According to L’Equipe, Sunderland have had an offer of £28m turned down for Toulouse left-back Dayann Methalie, as they look to bring him in before the end of the window.

The report claims that the defender has already chosen to sign for the Premier League side, suggesting that personal terms will not be a problem, but the two clubs are yet to reach an agreement on a transfer fee.

It adds that the Ligue 1 side are prepared to allow the 20-year-old talent to leave the club this summer, but they are holding out for a fee of £30m, only £2m more than the offer that they turned down.

The Black Cats could land an even better signing than Meunier by adding Methalie to their squad this summer, as he would be their first marquee addition.

Sunderland should pay the extra £2m that is required to bring him to Wearside in the coming weeks, as his performances in Ligue 1 last term suggest that he would arrive as the best left-back available to Le Bris.

After the team only scored 42 goals in 38 matches in the Premier League last season, adding an extra threat to the side in the left-back position could be a smart move by the club.

Methalie’s output in the final third for Toulouse suggests that he would be a far more effective attacking outlet than Reinildo, the club’s current first-choice left-back, and that may be why they are looking to bring him in for a significant fee.

He is also 12 years younger than the Mozambique international and could be the long-term left-back starter for the Black Cats moving forward, which is another reason why he would also be a better signing than Meunier.

The Belgian defender is heading towards the latter stage of his career, at the age of 34, and may only be a short-term depth option for Le Bris, providing experienced cover across his two-year contract.

Methalie, therefore, would provide more immediate value, as a starting-calibre signing, and more long-term value, due to his age, which is why this would be the best signing of the summer to date.