Sunderland have officially signed nine players so far this summer and they’re now closing in on their 10th and 11th signings of the transfer window.

Granit Xhaka, Enzo Le Fee, Habib Diarra, Marc Guiu, Noah Sadiki, Reinildo Mandava, Chemsdine Talbi, Robin Roefs, and Simon Adingra have all joined the Black Cats this summer.

In addition, former West Ham and Besiktas defender Arthur Masuaku is reported to have agreed a deal to join Sunderland as a free agent.

Now, Sky Sport Italy journalist Luca Bendoni has reported that Sunderland are closing in on the signing of a 27-cap South American defender.

Sunderland closing in on Paraguay defender Omar Alderete

Bendoni took to X on Saturday to report that Sunderland are closing in on a deal to sign Getafe defender Omar Alderete.

The journalist said the deal is not done yet, but the relevant parties are working quickly in order to reach an agreement.

In addition, Alderete is said to have given the green light to a move to the Stadium of Light.

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What Omar Alderete could bring to Sunderland

Alderete is a 28-year-old defender who largely plays at centre-back but can also cover at left-back.

He has made over 250 senior appearances over his career, including 99 outings for Getafe and 27 caps for Paraguay.

Alderete has earned the nickname “the Wall of Asuncion”, as per the Asuncion Times, which goes a long way to describing his no-nonsense style of play.

Alderete ranks highly in a number of metrics, such as clearances (7.3 per 90 minutes) and shots (1.15 per 90 minutes), one of the best around for a centre-back.

With Sunderland needing to reinforce their defensive ranks further, Alderete looks like a great shout to provide more physicality and grit to their back line.