Sunderland are likely to send numerous players out on loan this week.
The Black Cats have so far loaned out Nathan Bishop and Jay Matete to Wycombe Wanderers and Bolton Wanderers respectively, but are likely to be busy before Friday’s deadline.
The likes of Jewison Bennette, Luis Hemir and Nectarios Triantis have all been linked with loan exits, while Regis Le Bris has made it clear he wants Timothee Pembele to leave for the season.
The Frenchman endured a ‘shaky’ preseason campaign and has since failed to make it into the match-day squad.
Sunderland were said to be ‘looking’ to find him a temporary home and it now appears they have made a breakthrough.
Timothee Pembele set for Ligue 1 return
According to Le Parisien, Ligue 1 outfit Le Havre have been ‘exploring’ a deal for Pembele for several days now.
The report claims Le Havre were still deep in discussions with Sunderland on Monday afternoon.
The French club finished last season only three points out of the relegation zone, but will be hoping Pembele can help them push on higher up the table.
A loan move to Ligue 1 would see him return to his home country, having moved to Wearside from Paris Saint-Germain.
Does Pembele have a future at Sunderland?
The 21-year-old would need to be guaranteed a place in their starting line-up for the exit to be worth it, but he would surely improve his defensive capabilities if they continue to struggle in the top division.
It really feels like if he does move to France, then the likelihood of him returning permanently is quite low.
Pembele really doesn’t seem ready for Championship football and whether he will ever adapt to English football is another question.
Fans will hope that he returns next summer in much better form than when they left, but it wouldn’t be at all surprising at all if he is sold in 12 months time – especially if Sunderland manage to win promotion to the Premier League.
For now though, Pembele definitely needs a loan move away as he was going to really struggle for minutes under Le Bris.
Supporters will be eager to see Sunderland bring in a replacement though, as it would leave Trai Hume as the only senior right-back at the club.
Zak Johnson’s display against Preston North End in the Carabao Cup suggested that he certainly can’t be the one to fill in, in Hume’s absence.