Sunderland are now closing in on their first two signings of the January window.
Sunderland looked set to announce Leeds United defender Leo Hjelde as their first arrival of the month, and it hasn’t taken them long to agree a deal for another fresh face.
The Black Cats have been desperate to bolster their attack in January and had previously been in talks over a move for Arsenal’s Charles Sagoe Jr.
It now looks like they have turned their attention away from the 19-year-old though, and are instead targeting Romaine Mundle of Standard Liege.
Fabrizio Romano reported on the surprise deal this morning, writing on X: “Sunderland agree deal for the permanent transfer of Romaine Mundle from Standard Liége.
“Former Tottenham midfielder returns to England as he’s joining #SAFC.”
Mundle already looked set to complete a move to the Championship this month prior to Sunderland’s interest, with Stoke City, Plymouth and Swansea pushing to sign the winger in January.
However, it now looks like it is the Black Cats who will land the 20-year-old on a permanent deal before Thursday’s deadline.
Who is Romaine Mundle?
Born in London, Romaine Mundle came up through the youth academy at Tottenham Hotspur before signing his first professional contract in May 2021.
The youngster began to train with the first team the following season and was named in the match-day squad for Tottenham’s Europa League clash with FC Pacos de Ferreira three months later.
Mundle didn’t manage to make his senior debut though and instead starred for the U21s last season, netting seven goals and providing five assists in 24 games in the PL2 Division 1.
Mundle had impressed Antonio Conte and was named on the bench for five Premier League matches during the 2022/23 campaign, before Spurs tried to tie him down to a new long-term contract.
With interest from elsewhere, Mundle made the huge decision to leave his boyhood club and joined Belgian outfit Standard Liege on a four-year deal in the summer.
The attacker’s appearances in the Belgian Pro League have been limited though, failing to start a single game.
Mundle also endured a spell out with an ankle injury, but was left out of the match-day squad on a further nine occasions and has only made six substitute appearances.
Only seven months later, Mundle now looks set to return to England and help Sunderland to win promotion back to the Premier League.