Club confident of having successfully wooed Dylan McGeouch

SUNDERLAND are hopeful they have beaten off strong competition to land midfielder Dylan McGeouch.

The attack-minded midfielder, 25, is available on a ‘free’ after an impressive campaign with Hibernian which earned him his first call-up to the Scotland squad. He featured in friendlies against Peru and Mexico.

His form last season led to interest from Rangers, Aberdeen and Blackburn Rovers but the Black Cats are confident they have won the race to sign him and hope to announce his arrival as soon as possible.

McGeouch came to Wearside last week, where he held discussions with manager Jack Ross and was also shown around the facilities at the Academy of Light and the Stadium of Light.

McGeouch is believed to have been very impressed and to be willing to turn down attractive offers to join Sunderland.

The signing is considered something of a coup for Ross given the interest from top clubs in Scotland like Rangers and Aberdeen.

McGeouch had a brief spell in League One back in 2014 when he played eight games for Coventry City after arriving on loan at Celtic. Able to play as a No 10 as he did back then, McGeouch has seen his role move a little deeper into a standard central midfield role during his three years at Hibs. It is in this position his form has truly flourished.

McGeouch looks set to be Sunderland’s fifth signing of the summer, joining Alim Ozturk, Jon McLaughlin, Chris Maguire and Tom Flanagan.