Sunderland are ‘very close’ to signing a midfielder on deadline day.
Sunderland have only made one signing this month but do look to be closing in on the permanent arrival of Romaine Mundle too.
While striker Kieffer Moore still seems to be on their radar, there has been very little talk of bringing in a new midfielder.
Despite the lack of squad depth in midfield on Wearside, the only player the Black Cats seem to have shown genuine interest in is Callum Styles.
Michael Beale’s side were in talks with the Barnsley star, but that never seemed to come to fruition.
However, Sunderland now look set to seal a late deal for a midfielder that Beale is very familiar with.
According to journalist Samuel Venancio, the Championship club are ‘very close’ to signing Rangers’ Jose Cifuentes.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said: “There are some details to be given today. I came back from talking to someone and they told me it is very close to the deal being completed for José Cifuentes.
“He ruled out a move for Turkey and there was also an enquiry from English football from the Championship. There the club that would be interested is Sunderland, which is where the manager who was the manager who took José Cifuentes to Britain at Rangers. Let me just confirm the name here, it’s Michael Beale.
“That must be it, after all he is English and was the Rangers coach and he took José Cifuentes at the time for Rangers only that there was a change in technical command in October at the Scottish club.”
Beale snapped Cifuentes up for £1.2 million in the summer, but was sacked shortly after.
Who is Jose Cifuentes?
Jose Cifuentes began his career in his home country Ecuador, before joining Los Angeles FC in 2020.
The 24-year-old was a main-stay in the MLS and made 107 appearances in the top flight, helping LAFC win the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup double in 2022. They also reached the final of last season’s CONCACAF Champions League.
Cifuentes’ success in the US caught Michael Beale‘s eye last summer and he eventually earned himself a £1.2m switch to Ibrox Stadium.
The Ecuadorian only made one start in the Scottish Premiership under the current Sunderland boss, while he has racked up just 14 starts in all competitions since arriving in Scotland.
Cifuentes now looks set to leave Rangers after his brief stint, while reports have claimed he has already snubbed a move to Turkey.