Sunderland Set to Sign Dayann Methalie from Toulouse
Sunderland are on the brink of landing one of the most coveted young defenders in France, with Dayann Methalie set to swap Toulouse for the Stadium of Light in a deal worth about £26m.
The 20-year-old France Under-21 international, long tracked by Newcastle United, has emerged as a headline signing for Régis Le Bris’s rebuild. A verbal agreement is understood to be in place on a five-year contract, with Europa League football and a growing French-speaking core in the dressing room helping to tilt the move Sunderland’s way.
Sunderland steal a march
Newcastle’s interest in Methalie was no secret. Their recruitment team watched him extensively last season as he made 27 Ligue 1 appearances for Toulouse, and they reportedly explored a move as far back as January. On paper, he looked tailor-made for the club’s stated strategy: young, high-upside talent in the £20m-£40m bracket.
Yet when the moment came, Newcastle stepped back. The club have indicated they decided against pursuing the transfer this summer and have not lodged a bid, clearing the path for their Wearside rivals to move decisively.
Sunderland did not hesitate. Le Bris, newly installed and already reshaping the squad, identified Methalie as a cornerstone defensive signing. The 6ft 2in left-footer offers flexibility across the back line: comfortable at left-back, effective as a wing-back, and assured as a left-sided central defender in both a back three and a back four.
He will walk into a dressing room that should feel immediately familiar. Le Bris is a compatriot, and the French-speaking contingent is already strong, with Enzo Le Fée, Nordi Mukiele and Habib Diarra in place. Thomas Meunier has also arrived on a free after leaving Lille, making Methalie the manager’s second signing of the summer and underlining Sunderland’s growing continental flavour.
Competition will be fierce. Reinildo remains a serious obstacle to any ambitions of walking straight into the team as first-choice left-back. But Methalie’s mix of recovery pace, physical strength and composure on the ball gives Le Bris options that extend beyond a simple one-for-one battle on the flank. He looks as much like a long-term defensive pillar as a specialist full-back.
Newcastle’s defensive puzzle and Guimarães question
Across the Tyne, the mood is more cautious than celebratory. Newcastle still need reinforcements at both full-back positions, and the right side is causing Eddie Howe the most anxiety after Kieran Trippier’s departure at the end of last season.
The club’s recruitment team continue to search for cover and competition on both flanks, but the bigger storyline hangs over the midfield. Bruno Guimarães, captain and heartbeat, remains the subject of intense interest from Arsenal. Newcastle’s ability to keep him may ultimately rest on whether the London club are prepared to meet a fee in the region of £80m.
For now, Guimarães has been on holiday in Brazil following the World Cup and is due back on Tyneside on Friday, before heading out with the rest of the first-team squad to a training camp in La Manga. His presence there will be watched closely. Each passing day without a decisive move from Arsenal strengthens Newcastle’s hand, yet the possibility of a late, seismic bid still looms over their summer plans.
Joe Willock’s situation adds another layer of uncertainty. Besiktas have already tested Newcastle’s resolve with an offer of around £10m for the former Arsenal midfielder, an approach that was rejected. The door is not closed, though. Newcastle appear open to a sale if the fee climbs closer to £20m, a figure that would give them more room to manoeuvre in a market where they have already chosen not to fight Sunderland for Methalie.
So Sunderland move boldly, shaping a back line around one of Ligue 1’s most promising young defenders, while Newcastle juggle gaps at full-back and the future of their captain. The next few weeks will show whether stepping aside on Methalie was a calculated decision in a bigger plan, or a chance missed to keep pace with an ambitious rival up the road.
