** BREAKING NEWS **
SUNDERLAND defender Pascal Chimbonda is expected to undergo a medical at Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow morning after the two clubs agreed a £3m fee for his services late tonight.
The French defender, who was the Black Cats’ best player in Saturday’s goalless draw with Blackburn Rovers, is understood to have travelled to London this evening after a day of frantic negotiations.
The £3m fee represents the same sum Sunderland paid to Spurs to secure Chimbonda’s services in the summer, and will enable Black Cats boss Ricky Sbragia to step up his own search for new defenders ahead of next Monday’s transfer deadline.
Sbragia was claiming that Chimbonda would be going nowhere as recently as Saturday evening, but while the Scotsman continues to insist that Kenwyne Jones will not be joining Tottenham this month, his stance on the full-back has softened.
Chimbonda, who has made 13 Premier League starts for the Black Cats, fell out of favour with Roy Keane after he repeatedly turned up late for both team meetings and training.
He enjoyed something of a new lease of life under Sbragia, playing at both right-back and centre-half, but has been deemed surplus to requirements despite Sunderland’s lack of available defenders.
He will discuss personal terms and undergo a medical tomorrow, and could even begin his second spell at White Hart Lane in Spurs’ home game with Stoke on Tuesday evening.
** READ MORE SUNDERLAND NEWS IN TOMORROW'S NORTHERN ECHO **
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