With only a few weeks to go until the Premier League season kicks off, Sunderland have only added one new signing to their first-team squad this summer.

Thomas Meunier signed for the Black Cats on a free transfer to add depth to their options at right-back, possibly coming in behind Nordi Mukiele and Trai Hume.

With a Premier League and Europa League campaign ahead, Sunderland have yet to strengthen their starting line-up with new recruits to elevate the team.

Regis Le Bris and the recruitment team hit the jackpot last summer with the likes of Granit Xhaka, Mukiele, Brian Brobbey, and Omar Alderete, and supporters will be hoping that more of those kinds of deals are to come.

Why Granit Xhaka was a huge coup for Sunderland

Sunderland showed genuine ambition in the summer transfer window last year when they swooped to sign Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of £13m.

The Switzerland international arrived at the Stadium of Light with 297 appearances for Arsenal, 99 matches for Leverkusen, and 140 games for Borussia Monchengladbach under his belt at the top level.

He was able to hit the ground running on Wearside because of his vast experience at the top level, and went on to start 32 times in the Premier League last season to help the team to finish seventh in the table.

It was such a big coup for the club because they were able to convince such an experienced player to move on from a big German team to join a side that had just been promoted from the Championship.

Sunderland were rewarded for their ambition in pursuing Xhaka because he was a terrific performer in the Premier League, offering quality on the ball as a creator and as a dominant defender out of possession.

Sunderland preparing to land their biggest coup since Xhaka

Now, the club are looking to sign a player who could be their biggest coup since they decided to approach Leverkusen for the former Arsenal midfielder.

Les Violets reports that Sunderland are interested in a deal to sign Dayann Methalie from Toulouse before the end of the summer transfer window.

The outlet claims that the Ligue 1 side are 'preparing' to sell the left-back to the Black Cats in a deal that will be worth more than £26m, which means that the Premier League side are also preparing to bring him to the Stadium of Light.

Meanwhile, the Sunderland Echo reports that the player is keen on a move to Wearside, suggesting that personal terms may not be an issue.

If the Black Cats can get a deal over the line for more than £26m, Methalie will become, at least, their second-most expensive signing of all time, possibly only behind the £27m that they paid Strasbourg for Habib Diarra last year.

It would be the club's biggest deal of 2026 so far, for sure, and would be their biggest coup since they landed Xhaka, despite being for opposing reasons.

Whilst the Swiss star was a massive coup because of his experience in the game, Methalie would be a big coup because of how much potential he has as a young talent.

At the age of 20, he has already shown that he can handle himself in one of Europe's major leagues and could slot straight into Sunderland's team as a starter, despite beginning the calendar year as a teenager.

The left-footed defender is a powerful and dynamic star who uses his pace and physicality to drive down the flank to make things happen for his team in possession.

Methalie ranked in the top 6% of Ligue 1 left-backs for successful dribbles (28) and the top 21% for xA (2.22) in the 2025/26 campaign, which speaks to his ability to take on opposition players with the ball before producing a quality delivery into the box.

Reinildo only completed 15 dribbles and created 0.70 xA in his starts for Sunderland in the Premier League, which suggests that Methalie would be an immediate upgrade for Le Bris at left-back.

At the age of 20, the French youngster would also join with so much room left ahead of him to develop and improve, hence why he could be such a huge coup for the Black Cats, who could nurture his talent before selling him on for a profit in the future.

Signing a player as young as him with the performances that he has already shown could be considered as big of a coup as signing Xhaka, despite the two players being at opposing ends of their careers.