DESPITE all the talk of multi-million pound signings over the last couple of days, Sunderland's first acquisition of the summer has proved to be Cork City midfielder David Meyler.
SportMail revealed last weekend that Sunderland had been tracking the talented 19-year-old.
And now he has followed the path trodden by Roy O'Donovan a year ago, in making the switch to the Stadium of Light.
The price is a little over 200,000 e
uros – in the region of £160,000 – a slight improvement on Sunderland's initial bid and the teenager is set to join up with the club's reserve team squad.
Far more pressing though for Roy Keane is the purchase of players who will go straight into the first team rather than being ones for the future, like the Irish youngster.
Sunderland upped the ante in the transfer market 48 hours ago when they won permission to speak to four Tottenham Hotspur players – Steed Malbranque, Younes Kaboul, Teemu Tainio and Pascal Chimbonda.
While his squad jetted out to Portugal yesterday, Keane is understood to have remained behind to begin talks aimed at persuading the players their futures lie on Wearside.
There's no doubt that the four players are of the calibre to fulfil Keane's plans to strengthen the club's Premier League muscle.
But it is clear that the manager has a huge task in trying to persuade the quartet to move to the North East.
Most difficult to convince is likely to be French Under 21 captain Kaboul.
The centre-half's agent Rudy Raba said: "Younes wouldn't join Sunderland even if there was an earthquake.
"We have more interesting options that Sunderland. Don't even think
about it."
Raba says that the likes of Portsmouth, Aston Villa and Everton are more interesting prospects and is obviously interested in starting a bidding war.
But if Sunderland pay top dollar in terms of prospective transfer fee and wages, there is no reason why they can't land their man.
Steed Malbranque would offer style and guile to Sunderland's midfield but has yet to be convinced that a move to the North East is an appealing one.
Chimbonda might consider the offer but the news has already alerted other clubs to his availability, with Everton and Newcastle also linked.
Attracting Tanio seems to be the most favourable of the transfer prospects.
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