Belgian Laurens De Bock has emerged as the most likely solution to Sunderland’s left-back problem.
According to sources on Wearside and in West Yorkshire, the Black Cats are expected to conclude a deal for the Leeds United player before Monday’s 5pm deadline.
De Bock signed a four-and-a-half year contract in Elland Road in January 2018, but has only made seven appearances in that time. Last season turned down a loan to Beitar Jerusalem to instead join Oostende in his homeland.
Sunderland have already tried to sign one left-back from Leeds this summer, but Tom Pearce joined Blackburn Rovers instead on Championship deadline day. The Black Cats also failed in bids for Greg Cunningham, Callum Elder and Dominic Thompson that day.
With the Championship deadline having passed, Leeds would be unable to sign a replacement, but as De Bock has not been allocated a squad number this season and is not even listed on the first-team squad list on the Whites’ website, it is fair to say he is surplus to requirements.
Like his Sunderland counterpart Jack Ross , Leeds’ Marcelo Bielsa prefers to work with a tight squad.
De Bock has played international football from under-16 to under-21 level, but is yet to make his senior debut, despite having been named in the squad in 2014 and 2015.
Having sold Reece James to Doncaster Rovers early in the transfer window, the Black Cats have been light in that position since agreeing to release Bryan Oviedo on July 29.
It left Denver Hume as the only specialist on the left side of defence, and right-footer Conor McLaughlin has had to play there in four of the last six matches.
The 21-year-old has a patchy fitness history, and made a poor start to the season. He has only made nine league starts, but Ross is a big admirer of the Northumberland-born academy graduate.
Ross has long been open about the need to address that, and it appears De Bock may be his solution.
