John Mensah is expected to be confirmed as a Sunderland player in the coming week.

The Black Cats have been chasing the Ghanaian international defender for much of the summer, and they are set to land the player from Lyon on a season-long loan deal.

"It's fair to say that we are close to agreeing a deal," said Stadium of Light manager Steve Bruce. "I'll hopefully know more in the next 24-48 hours, but we hope so."

Mensah only joined Lyon from Rennes in an €8million transfer last summer, but he appears to have become a victim of the French’s side’s failure to retain their Ligue 1 crown.