Sheffield United's promotion rivals Sunderland edge closer to statement signing after £20m transfer agreed

Sheffield United’s promotion rivals Sunderland are on the verge of a stunning statement signing this window after agreeing a deal for Roma man Enzo Le Fée. The 24-year-old Frenchman is undergoing a medical on Wearside after a loan deal was agreed.

The midfielder only joined the Black Cats in the summer in a €23 million move but has already experienced two managerial changes in his short time with the Serie A giants and is now expected to link up with Regis Le Bris’s side as they continue their promotion push in the second half of the season.

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Sunderland will pay £20m for Le Fée if they are promoted this season with manager Regis Le Bris discussing the move earlier today. He said: "I can't say anything right now because it's not done.

"This market in particular we spoke a lot about opportunities we could have and the targets are still the same. We would like to have a player who knows the system and used to play in this model and are connected with this specific identity. This player could fit with that. But I repeat it's not done. It's a market with many opportunities, some are possible, some are not."

United themselves are targeting some loan moves but there are unlikely to be any as eye-catching as Sunderland’s in this window, with Ben Brereton Diaz and Hamza Choudhury, of Southampton and Leicester City respectively, among the names on Wilder’s wishlist in this vital transfer window.