Sunderland have concluded the signing of the French defender from PSG for around £12million

Sunderland have completed the signing of defender Nordi Mukiele from Paris Saint-Germain, subject to international clearance.

The 27-year-old has signed a four-year contract at the Stadium of Light following the start of the 2025-26 Premier League season, bringing Champions League and top-flight pedigree to Wearside.

Capped by France, Mukiele arrives for an undisclosed fee after spending last term on loan at Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen. He made 24 appearances across domestic and European competitions, featuring alongside Granit Xhaka – who has also joined Sunderland this summer.

Mukiele has built an impressive CV across Europe, with more than 300 career appearances, including 115 in the Bundesliga, 85 in Ligue 1 and 35 in the Champions League. It has also been confirmed that Mukiele will wear the number 20 shirt this season.

After signing on Wearside, Mukiele said: “It’s a new challenge and I’m happy to be here. I saw the atmosphere of the stadium, and this is something I really like. The fans are very important in football, and especially in Sunderland.

“I came here to fight for them. I see some good players and see their quality, so I believe that we can do something good together – and when I say together, I mean the players, the fans and the city. We will need everyone this season.”

Mukiele began his senior career with Paris FC and Laval before moving to Montpellier in 2017, where he made 50 appearances in an 18-month spell. His form earned him a move to RB Leipzig, where he enjoyed four seasons and lifted the DFB-Pokal in 2022.

He returned to France with PSG in 2022, winning back-to-back Ligue 1 titles in 2023 and 2024, as well as the Coupe de France and two Trophée des Champions.

Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman welcomed the arrival, saying: “Nordi possesses rare athletic qualities that are perfectly suited to our team in the Premier League. In addition, he has tactical versatility as a right back and centre back – for these reasons, we felt it was an acquisition we needed to make to enhance our group”

Speakman continued on the signing: “He’s had a variety of experiences in Europe, including in the Champions League, and now he’s motivated to show his ability for Sunderland AFC in the Premier League. We’re delighted to complete this deal.”

What did Régis Le Bris say after Sunderland vs West Ham?

Head coach Régis Le Bris hailed Sunderland’s players after their 3-0 victory over West Ham United but warned that humility and togetherness must remain central to their Premier League campaign.

The Black Cats returned to the top flight in style on Saturday, with second-half goals from Eliezer Mayenda, Dan Ballard and Wilson Isidor sealing their first Premier League win in over eight years.

Le Bris was delighted with the way his players responded to half-time instructions after a challenging first half and praised their ability to execute the gameplan. He also revealed that captain Granit Xhaka addressed the squad post-match to stress the importance of staying united.

“I'm happy for the fans and the players and the club,” Le Bris said. “We had different phases of pre-season and we spoke about the layers we needed to add. It was obvious that it starts from the foundations – we showed that the team is working well.

He added: “They were hard to beat in a mid to low block. The first half was a bit more difficult but during the second half we felt we could get opportunities through regains in the middle and that we could score through counter attacks.

“We didn't change many important things at half time. We spoke a bit about their goalkeeper restarts and our high press, we went for man for man and they found two or three opportunities with long balls. So it was really important to be strong in duels. We made just two or three little decisions, and it made a difference.”

Le Bris was also keen to highlight that Sunderland’s three goals came from players who were already at the club last season, despite a summer of heavy recruitment. “It's really important for two reasons, they showed they can step up [first and foremost],” he said.

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“We'll see later, but today it was the case. And it's really important because they keep the identity of the club and the way we worked last season. We built this strength about togetherness, the way we work as a team. The players worked well as a team and they showed that again today.”

The Frenchman added that while the opening-day victory was a proud moment for everyone connected to the club, Sunderland would remain focused on the long campaign ahead.

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